Jacques Plante (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #19)
Adjusted Stats
1952-1953 Mtl* 4 GP, 2-0-1, .625 win%, 211 min, 6 GA, 1.71 GAA
1953-1954 Mtl 20 GP, 8-6-6, .550 win%, 1195 min, 41 GA, 2.03 GAA
1954-1955 Mtl 61 GP, 39-14-8, .705 win%, 3608 min, 157 GA, 2.61 GAA
1955-1956 Mtl* 75 GP, 49-14-12, .733 win%, 4498 min, 169 GA, 2.26 GAA
1956-1957 Mtl* 71 GP, 36-21-14, .606 win%, 4287 min, 163 GA, 2.29 GAA
1957-1958 Mtl* 67 GP, 40-16-9, .685 win%, 3966 min, 153 GA, 2.32 GAA
1958-1959 Mtl* 78 GP, 45-19-15, .665 win%, 4686 min, 179 GA, 2.29 GAA
1959-1960 Mtl* 81 GP, 47-20-14, .667 win%, 4850 min, 214 GA, 2.64 GAA
1960-1961 Mtl 47 GP, 27-13-7, .649 win%, 2811 min, 134 GA, 2.87 GAA
1961-1962 Mtl 82 GP, 49-16-16, .704 win%, 4920 min, 199 GA, 2.42 GAA
1962-1963 Mtl 66 GP, 26-16-22, .578 win%, 3889 min, 167 GA, 2.58 GAA
1963-1964 NYR 76 GP, 26-42-8, .395 win%, 4569 min, 286 GA, 3.75 GAA
1964-1965 NYR 39 GP, 12-20-6, .395 win%, 2270 min, 137 GA, 3.61 GAA
1968-1969 Stl 40 GP, 19-13-6, .579 win%, 2308 min, 78 GA, 2.03 GAA
1969-1970 Stl 35 GP, 19-10-5, .632 win%, 1984 min, 77 GA, 2.31 GAA
1970-1971 Tor 42 GP, 25-12-4, .659 win%, 2448 min, 76 GA, 1.85 GAA
1971-1972 Tor 36 GP, 17-14-5, .542 win%, 2066 min, 91 GA, 2.63 GAA
1972-1973 Tor/Bos 42 GP, 16-16-6, .500 win%, 2310 min, 102 GA, 2.64 GAA
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1952-1953 Mtl* 4 GP, 3-1, .750 win%, 240 min, 7 GA, 1.79 GAA
1953-1954 Mtl 8 GP, 5-3, .625 win%, 480 min, 20 GA, 2.44 GAA
1954-1955 Mtl 12 GP, 6-3, .667 win%, 639 min, 37 GA, 3.44 GAA
1955-1956 Mtl* 10 GP, 8-2, .800 win%, 600 min, 18 GA, 1.81 GAA
1956-1957 Mtl* 10 GP, 8-2, .800 win%, 616 min, 17 GA, 1.66 GAA
1957-1958 Mtl* 10 GP, 8-2, .800 win%, 618 min, 18 GA, 1.76 GAA
1958-1959 Mtl* 11 GP, 8-3, .727 win%, 670 min, 24 GA, 2.18 GAA
1959-1960 Mtl* 8 GP, 8-0, 1.000 win%, 489 min, 11 GA, 1.40 GAA
1960-1961 Mtl 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 412 min, 18 GA, 2.62 GAA
1961-1962 Mtl 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 360 min, 19 GA, 3.14 GAA
1962-1963 Mtl 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 300 min, 14 GA, 2.77 GAA
1968-1969 Stl 10 GP, 8-2, .800 win%, 589 min, 14 GA, 1.41 GAA
1969-1970 Stl 6 GP, 4-1, .800 win%, 324 min, 7 GA, 1.37 GAA
1970-1971 Tor 3 GP, 0-2, .000 win%, 134 min, 6 GA, 2.88 GAA
1971-1972 Tor 1 GP, 0-1, .000 win%, 60 min, 5 GA, 4.66 GAA
1972-1973 Bos 2 GP, 0-2, .000 win%, 120 min, 9 GA, 4.43 GAA
Career - 962 GP, 502-282-164, .616 win%, 56876 min, 2429 GA, 2.56 GAA
Career-Highs - 82 GP (61-62); 49 wins (55-56); .733 win% (55-56); 4920 min (61-62); 1.85 GAA (70-71)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 56 GP, 29-17-10, .616 win%, 3333 min, 143 GA, 2.56 GAA
Peak Avg. (54-62) - 70 GP, 42-17-12, .676 win%, 4203 min, 171 GA, 2.44 GAA, 5 Cups
Playoff Career - 112 GP, 71-36, .664 win%, 6651 min, 244 GA, 2.20 GAA
Playoff-Highs - 8 wins (multiple times); 1.000 win% (59-60); 1.37 GAA (69-70)
Accolades - 1 MVP award, 7 Vezina Trophies
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team, 4-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
I went back and forth many times on who to rank as the third greatest goaltender of all-time (behind Roy and Brodeur): Jacques Plante or Glenn Hall. On the surface of things, it would appear to be no contest: Plante had seven Vezina trophies and six Stanley Cups. However, the Vezina trophy until the 1980s was for the goaltender whose team gave up the fewest goals (the equivalent of today's Jennings trophy), not the goaltender judged to be the best in the league. For that we have 1st-team all-star selections, and in that regard, Hall may have in fact been the superior regular-season goaltender.
But that's largely because Glenn Hall was the last line of defense on a mediocre Blackhawks team, while Plante was the backbone of a dynasty in Montreal. It's the Martin Brodeur argument all over again, and once again, I point to the fact that it is occasionally difficult to be a great "good-team" goaltender. Plante's 8-year run from 1954 to 1962, which coincided with the Canadiens' winning five straight Stanley Cup championships, is pretty much as good as it gets for a goaltender: an average of 42 wins a season, a staggering .676 win%, and three times selected as the league's best goalie.
Interestingly, Plante's best season was one that came after the Habs' dynasty years, 1961-1962, in which he astonishingly played every minute of every game (although Glenn Hall fans may be saying: so?) and won the equivalent of 49 games, with a sparkling win% of .704. It was good enough to take home MVP honors, making him the only goaltender to date who had ever won that award (and one of only two to ever win, the other being Dominik Hasek).
Yet what Plante may best be known for is his innovation with the game. He introduced the idea of the goalie mask to the NHL and perfected a design for his own (how goaltenders played in an era that included Bobby Hull without a mask is still beyond belief). But this seemingly obvious invention wasn't Plante's only contribution to the art of goaltending. He was a student of the game and was one of the first goalies to study angles and shooter tendencies. And Plante became one of the first goalies to introduce puckhandling to the goaltending repertoire...paving the way for later masters like Billy Smith, Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour.
At first, it seemed as if Plante's storied career would end on a sour note, as he retired after two disastrous seasons with a terrible New York Rangers team, adding fuel to the argument that Plante's success was solely due to the Canadiens' incredible team defence. Yet he emerged out of retirement a few years later to form an excellent goaltending tandem with fellow legend Glenn Hall, leading the expansion St. Louis Blues to several Stanley Cup finals, and then posting a staggering 1.85 GAA at the age of forty-two with the Toronto Maple Leafs, earning NHL 2nd-team honors. No goaltender has been that successful so late in his career, with the possible exception of Hall.
So the triumverate of Plante, Hall and Sawchuk can be shuffled any which way...I give the edge to Plante for his innovation, his incredible win-loss record, and his clutch 71-36 playoff mark. Yes, Plante played for a dominant team, but so did fellow greats Brodeur and Ken Dryden. What all three have in common is that they took advantage of the situation and took their teams to the next level with elite play at their position.
Monday, January 31, 2011
#17 - Mark Messier
Mark Messier (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #17)
Adjusted Stats
1979-1980 Edm 77 GP 11 goals 19 assists 30 points 0.39 PPG
1980-1981 Edm 74 GP 18 goals 33 assists 51 points 0.69 PPG
1981-1982 Edm 80 GP 39 goals 30 assists 69 points 0.86 PPG
1982-1983 Edm 79 GP 39 goals 47 assists 86 points 1.06 PPG
1983-1984 Edm* 75 GP 30 goals 51 assists 81 points 1.08 PPG
1984-1985 Edm* 56 GP 18 goals 26 assists 44 points 0.78 PPG
1985-1986 Edm 65 GP 28 goals 39 assists 67 points 1.03 PPG
1986-1987 Edm* 79 GP 32 goals 60 assists 92 points 1.17 PPG
1987-1988 Edm* 79 GP 32 goals 63 assists 94 points 1.19 PPG
1988-1989 Edm 74 GP 28 goals 51 assists 79 points 1.07 PPG
1989-1990 Edm* 81 GP 39 goals 72 assists 111 points 1.37 PPG
1990-1991 Edm 54 GP 11 goals 47 assists 58 points 1.08 PPG
1991-1992 NYR 81 GP 32 goals 66 assists 97 points 1.20 PPG
1992-1993 NYR 73 GP 20 goals 55 assists 75 points 1.03 PPG
1993-1994 NYR* 74 GP 24 goals 54 assists 78 points 1.05 PPG
1994-1995 NYR 79 GP 24 goals 68 assists 94 points 1.20 PPG
1995-1996 NYR 74 GP 46 goals 51 assists 97 points 1.31 PPG
1996-1997 NYR 71 GP 38 goals 51 assists 89 points 1.25 PPG
1997-1998 Van 82 GP 26 goals 44 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1998-1999 Van 59 GP 15 goals 41 assists 56 points 0.95 PPG
1999-2000 Van 66 GP 19 goals 41 assists 60 points 0.91 PPG
2000-2001 NYR 82 GP 27 goals 48 assists 75 points 0.91 PPG
2001-2002 NYR 41 GP 8 goals 19 assists 27 points 0.66 PPG
2002-2003 NYR 78 GP 21 goals 25 assists 46 points 0.59 PPG
2003-2004 NYR 76 GP 22 goals 30 assists 51 points 0.67 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1979-1980 Edm 3 GP 1 goal 2 assists 3 points 0.94 PPG
1980-1981 Edm 9 GP 1 goal 4 assists 5 points 0.55 PPG
1981-1982 Edm 5 GP 1 goal 2 assists 2 points 0.47 PPG
1982-1983 Edm 15 GP 12 goals 5 assists 16 points 1.09 PPG
1983-1984 Edm* 19 GP 7 goals 16 assists 23 points 1.22 PPG
1984-1985 Edm* 18 GP 9 goals 10 assists 19 points 1.04 PPG
1985-1986 Edm 10 GP 3 goals 5 assists 9 points 0.86 PPG
1986-1987 Edm* 21 GP 11 goals 14 assists 25 points 1.19 PPG
1987-1988 Edm* 19 GP 8 goals 17 assists 26 points 1.34 PPG
1988-1989 Edm 7 GP 1 goal 9 assists 10 points 1.47 PPG
1989-1990 Edm* 22 GP 8 goals 19 assists 26 points 1.19 PPG
1990-1991 Edm 18 GP 3 goals 9 assists 13 points 0.71 PPG
1991-1992 NYR 11 GP 6 goals 6 assists 12 points 1.11 PPG
1993-1994 NYR* 23 GP 12 goals 18 assists 29 points 1.28 PPG
1994-1995 NYR 10 GP 3 goals 9 assists 11 points 1.15 PPG
1995-1996 NYR 11 GP 4 goals 7 assists 11 points 0.96 PPG
1996-1997 NYR 15 GP 3 goals 9 assists 13 points 0.84 PPG
Career - 1809 GP, 647 goals, 1131 assists, 1777 points, 0.98 PPG
Career-Highs - 46 goals (95-96); 72 assists (89-90); 111 points (89-90); 1.37 PPG
Avg. (25 seasons) - 72 GP, 26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points, 0.98 PPG
Peak Avg. (89-97) - 73 GP, 29 goals, 58 assists, 87 points, 1.19 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 236 GP, 93 goals, 161 assists, 253 points, 1.07 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 12 goals (82-83); 18 assists (93-94); 29 points (93-94); 1.47 PPG (88-89)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 4-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
OK, it's time to get controversial folks. When Mark Messier announced his retirement and embarked on his subsequent "farewell tour", the accolades came pouring in. There was but one voice of dissent on the Canadian Sports Radio scene, the always-contrarian (and usually wrong) Bob McCown, who repeatedly said that, in his opinion, Mark Messier was overrated. Well, I can't believe it's come to this, but I'm going to have to agree with Bob McCown.
Understand, saying someone (or something) is overrated doesn't mean that it can't still be great. The Godfather is a great movie, but it's overrated. Mark Messier is one of the twenty greatest players to ever play the game, there's no doubt in my mind. But it stops there. He's not in the top ten, and I think a lot of people think he is. And I'm going to shock you with some of the names I'd put ahead of him: Sakic, Lidstrom, Esposito, Lafleur, even (mercurial as he was) Jagr!
Looking at it from afar (and without the benefit of my adjusted-stats system), Messier would seem to be a shoo-in for the top ten, and even hobknobbing with Howe in the pantheon: six Stanley Cups, second all-time in scoring to only Gretzky, way up there in career playoff points. It's when you realize that Messier benefited immensely from playing in the run-and-gun 80s and start looking closer at the stats that his contribution seems less special. Consider: in real-life stats, Gordie Howe had one 100-point season while Mark Messier had six. In adjusted stats, Howe had ten 100-point seasons while Messier only had one!
Look again at those adjusted averages: 26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points. Quite good, to be sure. But not even close to the same league with the elites. And well short, as we will see in their posts, of the numbers put up by Mikita, Sakic, Jagr, Yzerman, Espo and the Flower.
Well, yes you might say, his career averages look kinda meh, but that's only because he pulled a Paul Coffey and played for far too long, draining his career averages with so-so seasons at the tail end of his career. So let's look at his peak 8-year average. Interestingly enough, Messier's peak isn't even spent with the Oilers for the majority...it begins in 1989 when he has his one true elite-level season, 89-90, leading the Gretzky-less Oilers to a Stanley Cup and winning the MVP with adjusted numbers of 39 goals and 111 points. And it continues into his Ranger days...which is, if you think about it, the time when Messier emerged as not just one of about three or four supporting Oilers playing in the shadow of Gretzky but rather a great player in his own right.
But even when you look at that 8-year peak, it's underwhelming: 29 goals, 58 assists, 87 points, 1.19 PPG. Very good, no doubt. But compared to other 8-year peaks, Messier is way off the pace of Forsberg, Sakic, Howe and Beliveau, and is even bested by Yzerman. He's more in the company of Bryan Trottier, Ron Francis, Peter Stastny and Mats Sundin. Now, those are still great players. But there are great players and there are great players, and you can see that Messier belongs in the non-italicized category. Messier is still top twenty in the pyramid, but to be named in even the same sentence as a Gretzky, Lemieux or Beliveau is heresy.
I can already hear some of the arguments, so let's address them:
"There's more to hockey than just point totals"
Yes, there is, and Messier was lacking in those areas too. Lest we forget, Messier was for the bulk of his career (at least his first six or seven years; and certainly his last seven or eight) a clear defensive liability. Kevin Lowe talks about Glen Sather's frustration with Messier's defensive positioning in his memoirs of the Oiler days (and Sather isn't known for being a stickler for defence).
Certainly, Messier was a prototype power forward in that he was willing to muck it up in the corners, get in a fight if necessary, and cross-check you in the face to prove a point. But again, these are all things that Howe did while also playing better defence, and for the trade-off of production coupled with their superior two-way abilities, I'll take a Beliveau or Mikita over Messier's "grittiness" any day.
"Six Stanley Cups in the modern era! The guy is the greatest leader in hockey history!"
Yes, the Cups are impressive, and believe me, they're the single greatest contributing factor to my opinion that he's a great player. But Bryan Trottier also has six Stanley Cups and similar peak-numbers. Mess gets the edge over Trottier because of longevity...so how about Henri Richard with his eleven Cups? Well, still I'd give the edge to Mess because of his more consistent productivity, and the fact that half of Richard's eleven Cups were won during the Original Six days, when, CFL-style, the odds were more likely you were going to win a championship.
But as far as all of this "leadership" stuff, well, I recognize that Messier is certainly one of the best captains in hockey history. Still, it cuts both ways. We shouldn't forget that four of Messier's six Cups were won with Gretzky there, as captain, and also, by the way, as the greatest player in the history of the game. And there was Coffey, Kurri, Anderson, Fuhr. Messier's contributions aren't negligible by any means...after all, he was the Conn Smythe winner in the Oilers' first Cup year. And Messier went on to win a Cup "by himself" in 1990 with the Oilers, and in 1994 with the Rangers (funny that for winning them "by himself", he didn't win the Conn Smythe in either year).
But hey, Kevin Lowe and Glenn Anderson were on all six of those teams also...they stayed with the Oilers and followed Messier to the Rangers. Who's to say they weren't instrumental in the "leading" of those teams? I'm being facetious, but the point is leadership is hard to quantify.
And what are we to make of the fact that Messier's teams missed the playoffs for the final seven years of his career! SEVEN! In a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs. Did Messier suddenly forget how to lead? These weren't expansion teams he was captain of...the Rangers in the early 2000s were routinely the highest-spending team and routinely underachieved. They were loaded with talent, but couldn't marshal it in a proper way...almost like they were lacking leadership.
Well, yes, but maybe the talent was too flaky, too unpredictable...hell, I'll just say it, too European for any leader to do anything about it. In that case, though, Yzerman and Lidstrom prove themselves to be leaders on par with Messier...they won multiple Cups with primarily European teams.
I don't really believe all of what I'm saying...the point is that hockey is a team game, and of course leaders are required, and great leaders do emerge, but we shouldn't be willing to elevate someone into the pantheon, or even into a discussion of the absolute greatest players of all-time, based solely on some perception of leadership that can have many holes poked in it.
"But he brought it in the big games. Remember the guarantee?"
Yes, sadly, as a Devils fan, I do remember the fucking guarantee. That one game, Game Six, did more to cement Messier's reputation as higher than it should be than anything else. But I also remember that if a rookie goalie by the name of Martin Brodeur knew how to stop wraparounds at the time, the Rangers wouldn't have won the deciding Game Seven.
So, props to the Moose for the guarantee. But sports guarantees are like Don Cherry opinions: the odd time you get them right, you look like a genius and can point to them over and over again, and the majority of the time when you're wrong, you just stay low-key and hope no one remembers what it was you said. We all remember two legendary sports guarantees: Messier's and Joe Namath's. But I'm also sure there are at least fifteen failed ones, I just can't remember them at all (except for Roy Williams guaranteeing the Detroit Lions would win-out the rest of the season...that's just funny). Messier stepped out with his guarantee, and he delivered with the hat trick. Good for him. I won't even mention that the Rangers were Presidents Trophy winners that year, not exactly massive underdogs...oh wait, I just did. Nevertheless, the Moose made good on his guarantee. But that one moment shouldn't change the fact that, for the other 25 years of his career, Messier, while certainly one of the greats to play the game, wasn't ever at the elite level he's been made out to be.
Or maybe I'm just a bitter Devils fan. If so, here's the case for Messier, and why after much debate, I decided to rank him ahead of Stan Mikita: even if the six Stanley Cup rings may have been a product of the great teams around him, Messier brought it when it mattered most. His postseason PPG of 1.07 is 0.09 higher than his regular-season PPG, a true rarity among superstars (of course, some of this may be explained by the fact that an aging and declining Messier didn't have his postseason numbers sullied because his teams weren't even IN the postseason!). And the even bigger factor: in all six of those Stanley Cup runs, Messier was invaluable to his teams, averaging over an adjusted PPG and never once being a "passenger" on a great team's run to the championship.
Messier's legacy may be somewhat overblown, but he's still one of the greatest to play the game. He brought grit and determination during the postseason when legends are born, and even though his career numbers are inflated from playing during one of the highest-scoring eras the game has seen, as much as it pains me to admit it, The Moose did leave a lasting legacy of success. Just don't start arguing that he's a top-ten player.
Adjusted Stats
1979-1980 Edm 77 GP 11 goals 19 assists 30 points 0.39 PPG
1980-1981 Edm 74 GP 18 goals 33 assists 51 points 0.69 PPG
1981-1982 Edm 80 GP 39 goals 30 assists 69 points 0.86 PPG
1982-1983 Edm 79 GP 39 goals 47 assists 86 points 1.06 PPG
1983-1984 Edm* 75 GP 30 goals 51 assists 81 points 1.08 PPG
1984-1985 Edm* 56 GP 18 goals 26 assists 44 points 0.78 PPG
1985-1986 Edm 65 GP 28 goals 39 assists 67 points 1.03 PPG
1986-1987 Edm* 79 GP 32 goals 60 assists 92 points 1.17 PPG
1987-1988 Edm* 79 GP 32 goals 63 assists 94 points 1.19 PPG
1988-1989 Edm 74 GP 28 goals 51 assists 79 points 1.07 PPG
1989-1990 Edm* 81 GP 39 goals 72 assists 111 points 1.37 PPG
1990-1991 Edm 54 GP 11 goals 47 assists 58 points 1.08 PPG
1991-1992 NYR 81 GP 32 goals 66 assists 97 points 1.20 PPG
1992-1993 NYR 73 GP 20 goals 55 assists 75 points 1.03 PPG
1993-1994 NYR* 74 GP 24 goals 54 assists 78 points 1.05 PPG
1994-1995 NYR 79 GP 24 goals 68 assists 94 points 1.20 PPG
1995-1996 NYR 74 GP 46 goals 51 assists 97 points 1.31 PPG
1996-1997 NYR 71 GP 38 goals 51 assists 89 points 1.25 PPG
1997-1998 Van 82 GP 26 goals 44 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1998-1999 Van 59 GP 15 goals 41 assists 56 points 0.95 PPG
1999-2000 Van 66 GP 19 goals 41 assists 60 points 0.91 PPG
2000-2001 NYR 82 GP 27 goals 48 assists 75 points 0.91 PPG
2001-2002 NYR 41 GP 8 goals 19 assists 27 points 0.66 PPG
2002-2003 NYR 78 GP 21 goals 25 assists 46 points 0.59 PPG
2003-2004 NYR 76 GP 22 goals 30 assists 51 points 0.67 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1979-1980 Edm 3 GP 1 goal 2 assists 3 points 0.94 PPG
1980-1981 Edm 9 GP 1 goal 4 assists 5 points 0.55 PPG
1981-1982 Edm 5 GP 1 goal 2 assists 2 points 0.47 PPG
1982-1983 Edm 15 GP 12 goals 5 assists 16 points 1.09 PPG
1983-1984 Edm* 19 GP 7 goals 16 assists 23 points 1.22 PPG
1984-1985 Edm* 18 GP 9 goals 10 assists 19 points 1.04 PPG
1985-1986 Edm 10 GP 3 goals 5 assists 9 points 0.86 PPG
1986-1987 Edm* 21 GP 11 goals 14 assists 25 points 1.19 PPG
1987-1988 Edm* 19 GP 8 goals 17 assists 26 points 1.34 PPG
1988-1989 Edm 7 GP 1 goal 9 assists 10 points 1.47 PPG
1989-1990 Edm* 22 GP 8 goals 19 assists 26 points 1.19 PPG
1990-1991 Edm 18 GP 3 goals 9 assists 13 points 0.71 PPG
1991-1992 NYR 11 GP 6 goals 6 assists 12 points 1.11 PPG
1993-1994 NYR* 23 GP 12 goals 18 assists 29 points 1.28 PPG
1994-1995 NYR 10 GP 3 goals 9 assists 11 points 1.15 PPG
1995-1996 NYR 11 GP 4 goals 7 assists 11 points 0.96 PPG
1996-1997 NYR 15 GP 3 goals 9 assists 13 points 0.84 PPG
Career - 1809 GP, 647 goals, 1131 assists, 1777 points, 0.98 PPG
Career-Highs - 46 goals (95-96); 72 assists (89-90); 111 points (89-90); 1.37 PPG
Avg. (25 seasons) - 72 GP, 26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points, 0.98 PPG
Peak Avg. (89-97) - 73 GP, 29 goals, 58 assists, 87 points, 1.19 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 236 GP, 93 goals, 161 assists, 253 points, 1.07 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 12 goals (82-83); 18 assists (93-94); 29 points (93-94); 1.47 PPG (88-89)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 4-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
OK, it's time to get controversial folks. When Mark Messier announced his retirement and embarked on his subsequent "farewell tour", the accolades came pouring in. There was but one voice of dissent on the Canadian Sports Radio scene, the always-contrarian (and usually wrong) Bob McCown, who repeatedly said that, in his opinion, Mark Messier was overrated. Well, I can't believe it's come to this, but I'm going to have to agree with Bob McCown.
Understand, saying someone (or something) is overrated doesn't mean that it can't still be great. The Godfather is a great movie, but it's overrated. Mark Messier is one of the twenty greatest players to ever play the game, there's no doubt in my mind. But it stops there. He's not in the top ten, and I think a lot of people think he is. And I'm going to shock you with some of the names I'd put ahead of him: Sakic, Lidstrom, Esposito, Lafleur, even (mercurial as he was) Jagr!
Looking at it from afar (and without the benefit of my adjusted-stats system), Messier would seem to be a shoo-in for the top ten, and even hobknobbing with Howe in the pantheon: six Stanley Cups, second all-time in scoring to only Gretzky, way up there in career playoff points. It's when you realize that Messier benefited immensely from playing in the run-and-gun 80s and start looking closer at the stats that his contribution seems less special. Consider: in real-life stats, Gordie Howe had one 100-point season while Mark Messier had six. In adjusted stats, Howe had ten 100-point seasons while Messier only had one!
Look again at those adjusted averages: 26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points. Quite good, to be sure. But not even close to the same league with the elites. And well short, as we will see in their posts, of the numbers put up by Mikita, Sakic, Jagr, Yzerman, Espo and the Flower.
Well, yes you might say, his career averages look kinda meh, but that's only because he pulled a Paul Coffey and played for far too long, draining his career averages with so-so seasons at the tail end of his career. So let's look at his peak 8-year average. Interestingly enough, Messier's peak isn't even spent with the Oilers for the majority...it begins in 1989 when he has his one true elite-level season, 89-90, leading the Gretzky-less Oilers to a Stanley Cup and winning the MVP with adjusted numbers of 39 goals and 111 points. And it continues into his Ranger days...which is, if you think about it, the time when Messier emerged as not just one of about three or four supporting Oilers playing in the shadow of Gretzky but rather a great player in his own right.
But even when you look at that 8-year peak, it's underwhelming: 29 goals, 58 assists, 87 points, 1.19 PPG. Very good, no doubt. But compared to other 8-year peaks, Messier is way off the pace of Forsberg, Sakic, Howe and Beliveau, and is even bested by Yzerman. He's more in the company of Bryan Trottier, Ron Francis, Peter Stastny and Mats Sundin. Now, those are still great players. But there are great players and there are great players, and you can see that Messier belongs in the non-italicized category. Messier is still top twenty in the pyramid, but to be named in even the same sentence as a Gretzky, Lemieux or Beliveau is heresy.
I can already hear some of the arguments, so let's address them:
"There's more to hockey than just point totals"
Yes, there is, and Messier was lacking in those areas too. Lest we forget, Messier was for the bulk of his career (at least his first six or seven years; and certainly his last seven or eight) a clear defensive liability. Kevin Lowe talks about Glen Sather's frustration with Messier's defensive positioning in his memoirs of the Oiler days (and Sather isn't known for being a stickler for defence).
Certainly, Messier was a prototype power forward in that he was willing to muck it up in the corners, get in a fight if necessary, and cross-check you in the face to prove a point. But again, these are all things that Howe did while also playing better defence, and for the trade-off of production coupled with their superior two-way abilities, I'll take a Beliveau or Mikita over Messier's "grittiness" any day.
"Six Stanley Cups in the modern era! The guy is the greatest leader in hockey history!"
Yes, the Cups are impressive, and believe me, they're the single greatest contributing factor to my opinion that he's a great player. But Bryan Trottier also has six Stanley Cups and similar peak-numbers. Mess gets the edge over Trottier because of longevity...so how about Henri Richard with his eleven Cups? Well, still I'd give the edge to Mess because of his more consistent productivity, and the fact that half of Richard's eleven Cups were won during the Original Six days, when, CFL-style, the odds were more likely you were going to win a championship.
But as far as all of this "leadership" stuff, well, I recognize that Messier is certainly one of the best captains in hockey history. Still, it cuts both ways. We shouldn't forget that four of Messier's six Cups were won with Gretzky there, as captain, and also, by the way, as the greatest player in the history of the game. And there was Coffey, Kurri, Anderson, Fuhr. Messier's contributions aren't negligible by any means...after all, he was the Conn Smythe winner in the Oilers' first Cup year. And Messier went on to win a Cup "by himself" in 1990 with the Oilers, and in 1994 with the Rangers (funny that for winning them "by himself", he didn't win the Conn Smythe in either year).
But hey, Kevin Lowe and Glenn Anderson were on all six of those teams also...they stayed with the Oilers and followed Messier to the Rangers. Who's to say they weren't instrumental in the "leading" of those teams? I'm being facetious, but the point is leadership is hard to quantify.
And what are we to make of the fact that Messier's teams missed the playoffs for the final seven years of his career! SEVEN! In a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs. Did Messier suddenly forget how to lead? These weren't expansion teams he was captain of...the Rangers in the early 2000s were routinely the highest-spending team and routinely underachieved. They were loaded with talent, but couldn't marshal it in a proper way...almost like they were lacking leadership.
Well, yes, but maybe the talent was too flaky, too unpredictable...hell, I'll just say it, too European for any leader to do anything about it. In that case, though, Yzerman and Lidstrom prove themselves to be leaders on par with Messier...they won multiple Cups with primarily European teams.
I don't really believe all of what I'm saying...the point is that hockey is a team game, and of course leaders are required, and great leaders do emerge, but we shouldn't be willing to elevate someone into the pantheon, or even into a discussion of the absolute greatest players of all-time, based solely on some perception of leadership that can have many holes poked in it.
"But he brought it in the big games. Remember the guarantee?"
Yes, sadly, as a Devils fan, I do remember the fucking guarantee. That one game, Game Six, did more to cement Messier's reputation as higher than it should be than anything else. But I also remember that if a rookie goalie by the name of Martin Brodeur knew how to stop wraparounds at the time, the Rangers wouldn't have won the deciding Game Seven.
So, props to the Moose for the guarantee. But sports guarantees are like Don Cherry opinions: the odd time you get them right, you look like a genius and can point to them over and over again, and the majority of the time when you're wrong, you just stay low-key and hope no one remembers what it was you said. We all remember two legendary sports guarantees: Messier's and Joe Namath's. But I'm also sure there are at least fifteen failed ones, I just can't remember them at all (except for Roy Williams guaranteeing the Detroit Lions would win-out the rest of the season...that's just funny). Messier stepped out with his guarantee, and he delivered with the hat trick. Good for him. I won't even mention that the Rangers were Presidents Trophy winners that year, not exactly massive underdogs...oh wait, I just did. Nevertheless, the Moose made good on his guarantee. But that one moment shouldn't change the fact that, for the other 25 years of his career, Messier, while certainly one of the greats to play the game, wasn't ever at the elite level he's been made out to be.
Or maybe I'm just a bitter Devils fan. If so, here's the case for Messier, and why after much debate, I decided to rank him ahead of Stan Mikita: even if the six Stanley Cup rings may have been a product of the great teams around him, Messier brought it when it mattered most. His postseason PPG of 1.07 is 0.09 higher than his regular-season PPG, a true rarity among superstars (of course, some of this may be explained by the fact that an aging and declining Messier didn't have his postseason numbers sullied because his teams weren't even IN the postseason!). And the even bigger factor: in all six of those Stanley Cup runs, Messier was invaluable to his teams, averaging over an adjusted PPG and never once being a "passenger" on a great team's run to the championship.
Messier's legacy may be somewhat overblown, but he's still one of the greatest to play the game. He brought grit and determination during the postseason when legends are born, and even though his career numbers are inflated from playing during one of the highest-scoring eras the game has seen, as much as it pains me to admit it, The Moose did leave a lasting legacy of success. Just don't start arguing that he's a top-ten player.
#18 - Stan Mikita
Stan Mikita (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #18)
Adjusted Stats
1958-1959 Chi 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.35 PPG
1959-1960 Chi 78 GP 10 goals 22 assists 32 points 0.40 PPG
1960-1961 Chi* 77 GP 23 goals 41 assists 64 points 0.82 PPG
1961-1962 Chi 82 GP 30 goals 62 assists 92 points 1.12 PPG
1962-1963 Chi 76 GP 38 goals 54 assists 92 points 1.16 PPG
1963-1964 Chi 82 GP 51 goals 65 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 82 GP 35 goals 74 assists 109 points 1.33 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 80 GP 36 goals 57 assists 92 points 1.16 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 82 GP 42 goals 75 assists 117 points 1.43 PPG
1967-1968 Chi 80 GP 49 goals 57 assists 106 points 1.33 PPG
1968-1969 Chi 80 GP 33 goals 75 assists 108 points 1.35 PPG
1969-1970 Chi 82 GP 45 goals 54 assists 98 points 1.20 PPG
1970-1971 Chi 78 GP 25 goals 50 assists 75 points 0.96 PPG
1971-1972 Chi 78 GP 27 goals 41 assists 69 points 0.88 PPG
1972-1973 Chi 60 GP 27 goals 55 assists 82 points 1.37 PPG
1973-1974 Chi 80 GP 30 goals 51 assists 81 points 1.01 PPG
1974-1975 Chi 81 GP 33 goals 46 assists 79 points 0.98 PPG
1975-1976 Chi 49 GP 15 goals 38 assists 53 points 1.07 PPG
1976-1977 Chi 58 GP 18 goals 28 assists 47 points 0.80 PPG
1977-1978 Chi 78 GP 17 goals 39 assists 56 points 0.72 PPG
1978-1979 Chi 67 GP 17 goals 32 assists 50 points 0.74 PPG
1979-1980 Chi 17 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.36 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1959-1960 Chi 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.34 PPG
1960-1961 Chi* 12 GP 7 goals 6 assists 12 points 1.03 PPG
1961-1962 Chi 12 GP 6 goals 15 assists 21 points 1.73 PPG
1962-1963 Chi 6 GP 3 goals 2 assists 5 points 0.82 PPG
1963-1964 Chi 7 GP 3 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.36 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 14 GP 3 goals 8 assists 11 points 0.78 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 6 GP 1 goal 2 assists 3 points 0.53 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 6 GP 2 goals 2 assists 4 points 0.69 PPG
1967-1968 Chi 11 GP 5 goals 7 assists 12 points 1.09 PPG
1969-1970 Chi 8 GP 4 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.16 PPG
1970-1971 Chi 18 GP 5 goals 12 assists 17 points 0.92 PPG
1971-1972 Chi 8 GP 3 goals 1 assist 4 points 0.47 PPG
1972-1973 Chi 15 GP 6 goals 12 assists 18 points 1.18 PPG
1973-1974 Chi 11 GP 5 goals 6 assists 11 points 0.98 PPG
1974-1975 Chi 8 GP 3 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.80 PPG
1975-1976 Chi 4 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1976-1977 Chi 2 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.44 PPG
1977-1978 Chi 4 GP 3 goals 0 assists 3 points 0.73 PPG
Career - 1530 GP, 603 goals, 1021 assists, 1625 points, 1.06 PPG
Career-Highs - 51 goals (63-64); 75 assists (66-67); 117 points (66-67); 1.43 PPG (66-67)
Avg. (21 seasons) - 73 GP, 29 goals, 49 assists, 77 points, 1.06 PPG
Peak Avg. (62-70) - 81 GP, 41 goals, 64 assists, 105 points, 1.30 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 155 GP, 59 goals, 91 assists, 147 points, 0.95 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 7 goals (60-61); 12 assists (72-73); 21 points (61-62); 1.73 PPG (61-62)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 4 Art Ross, 2 Lady Byngs
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion
While Mikita was a key player on the Chicago Blackhawks' 1960-1961 championship team, it wasn't until the year after that he began to emerge as the league's premier center. Along with his teammate Bobby Hull, Mikita pretty much owned the 1960s...they were the league's premier 1-2 punch for that decade. His eight-year run from 1962-1970 is pretty much as good as it gets for a center, unless your name is Wayne Gretzky.
His more modern day equivalent would certainly be Steve Yzerman: both were excellent passers, more-than-adept goal-scorers, and great defensively (although it took Yzerman a few years to develop his defensive abilities). Mikita ranks a tad behind Sakic because he didn't have quite as many ultra-productive years, although as mentioned before, at his peak the numbers are comparable. But he may rank a hair ahead of Yzerman in my books out of sheer luck: where Yzerman rarely made it to the year-end all-star teams because he was playing behind Gretzky and Lemieux, Mikita was considered the league's best center six times, and made the 2nd team twice (all of these accolades unsurprisingly came in the 1960s).
Mikita's excellence was also important for the future of European players in hockey: he was productive, a quietly reliable leader of the Blackhawks, and, much like Sakic, admired for his class and work ethic. If he had played in the 1990s, he'd be right there in the conversation with Burnaby Joe and Stevie Y. That's where Mikita fits in history.
But should Mikita be ranked higher than Messier? It was one of the toughest calls of the Pyramid. I originally gave Mikita the edge because he led the league in scoring four times, while Messier never did. Messier enjoyed greater team success...but if you put a Mikita equivalent on the Oilers in the mid-1980s, it's fair to say that they would have won an equal amount of championships. Messier's game had more sandpaper (translation: he was a cheaper S.O.B.), while Mikita developed from a bit of a hothead in his younger years to a Lady Byng-winning, universally-respected two-way center (think Yzerman in his later years). It's a close call, and given Evolutionary Bias (i.e. players get better as time goes on), the temptation would be to go with Messier. On the other hand, Mikita's peak was far more impressive than Messier's. He was the best center of the 1960s and the best center in the history of one of the NHL's original six teams. What gives Messier the slight edge is that he was even better in the postseason than in the regular season, a key part of six championship teams. Mikita was no slouch either, but only won one championship, meaning he will have to defer to The Moose. But he's still deserving of a top-20 spot on the Pyramid.
Adjusted Stats
1958-1959 Chi 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.35 PPG
1959-1960 Chi 78 GP 10 goals 22 assists 32 points 0.40 PPG
1960-1961 Chi* 77 GP 23 goals 41 assists 64 points 0.82 PPG
1961-1962 Chi 82 GP 30 goals 62 assists 92 points 1.12 PPG
1962-1963 Chi 76 GP 38 goals 54 assists 92 points 1.16 PPG
1963-1964 Chi 82 GP 51 goals 65 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 82 GP 35 goals 74 assists 109 points 1.33 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 80 GP 36 goals 57 assists 92 points 1.16 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 82 GP 42 goals 75 assists 117 points 1.43 PPG
1967-1968 Chi 80 GP 49 goals 57 assists 106 points 1.33 PPG
1968-1969 Chi 80 GP 33 goals 75 assists 108 points 1.35 PPG
1969-1970 Chi 82 GP 45 goals 54 assists 98 points 1.20 PPG
1970-1971 Chi 78 GP 25 goals 50 assists 75 points 0.96 PPG
1971-1972 Chi 78 GP 27 goals 41 assists 69 points 0.88 PPG
1972-1973 Chi 60 GP 27 goals 55 assists 82 points 1.37 PPG
1973-1974 Chi 80 GP 30 goals 51 assists 81 points 1.01 PPG
1974-1975 Chi 81 GP 33 goals 46 assists 79 points 0.98 PPG
1975-1976 Chi 49 GP 15 goals 38 assists 53 points 1.07 PPG
1976-1977 Chi 58 GP 18 goals 28 assists 47 points 0.80 PPG
1977-1978 Chi 78 GP 17 goals 39 assists 56 points 0.72 PPG
1978-1979 Chi 67 GP 17 goals 32 assists 50 points 0.74 PPG
1979-1980 Chi 17 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.36 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1959-1960 Chi 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.34 PPG
1960-1961 Chi* 12 GP 7 goals 6 assists 12 points 1.03 PPG
1961-1962 Chi 12 GP 6 goals 15 assists 21 points 1.73 PPG
1962-1963 Chi 6 GP 3 goals 2 assists 5 points 0.82 PPG
1963-1964 Chi 7 GP 3 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.36 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 14 GP 3 goals 8 assists 11 points 0.78 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 6 GP 1 goal 2 assists 3 points 0.53 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 6 GP 2 goals 2 assists 4 points 0.69 PPG
1967-1968 Chi 11 GP 5 goals 7 assists 12 points 1.09 PPG
1969-1970 Chi 8 GP 4 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.16 PPG
1970-1971 Chi 18 GP 5 goals 12 assists 17 points 0.92 PPG
1971-1972 Chi 8 GP 3 goals 1 assist 4 points 0.47 PPG
1972-1973 Chi 15 GP 6 goals 12 assists 18 points 1.18 PPG
1973-1974 Chi 11 GP 5 goals 6 assists 11 points 0.98 PPG
1974-1975 Chi 8 GP 3 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.80 PPG
1975-1976 Chi 4 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1976-1977 Chi 2 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.44 PPG
1977-1978 Chi 4 GP 3 goals 0 assists 3 points 0.73 PPG
Career - 1530 GP, 603 goals, 1021 assists, 1625 points, 1.06 PPG
Career-Highs - 51 goals (63-64); 75 assists (66-67); 117 points (66-67); 1.43 PPG (66-67)
Avg. (21 seasons) - 73 GP, 29 goals, 49 assists, 77 points, 1.06 PPG
Peak Avg. (62-70) - 81 GP, 41 goals, 64 assists, 105 points, 1.30 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 155 GP, 59 goals, 91 assists, 147 points, 0.95 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 7 goals (60-61); 12 assists (72-73); 21 points (61-62); 1.73 PPG (61-62)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 4 Art Ross, 2 Lady Byngs
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion
While Mikita was a key player on the Chicago Blackhawks' 1960-1961 championship team, it wasn't until the year after that he began to emerge as the league's premier center. Along with his teammate Bobby Hull, Mikita pretty much owned the 1960s...they were the league's premier 1-2 punch for that decade. His eight-year run from 1962-1970 is pretty much as good as it gets for a center, unless your name is Wayne Gretzky.
His more modern day equivalent would certainly be Steve Yzerman: both were excellent passers, more-than-adept goal-scorers, and great defensively (although it took Yzerman a few years to develop his defensive abilities). Mikita ranks a tad behind Sakic because he didn't have quite as many ultra-productive years, although as mentioned before, at his peak the numbers are comparable. But he may rank a hair ahead of Yzerman in my books out of sheer luck: where Yzerman rarely made it to the year-end all-star teams because he was playing behind Gretzky and Lemieux, Mikita was considered the league's best center six times, and made the 2nd team twice (all of these accolades unsurprisingly came in the 1960s).
Mikita's excellence was also important for the future of European players in hockey: he was productive, a quietly reliable leader of the Blackhawks, and, much like Sakic, admired for his class and work ethic. If he had played in the 1990s, he'd be right there in the conversation with Burnaby Joe and Stevie Y. That's where Mikita fits in history.
But should Mikita be ranked higher than Messier? It was one of the toughest calls of the Pyramid. I originally gave Mikita the edge because he led the league in scoring four times, while Messier never did. Messier enjoyed greater team success...but if you put a Mikita equivalent on the Oilers in the mid-1980s, it's fair to say that they would have won an equal amount of championships. Messier's game had more sandpaper (translation: he was a cheaper S.O.B.), while Mikita developed from a bit of a hothead in his younger years to a Lady Byng-winning, universally-respected two-way center (think Yzerman in his later years). It's a close call, and given Evolutionary Bias (i.e. players get better as time goes on), the temptation would be to go with Messier. On the other hand, Mikita's peak was far more impressive than Messier's. He was the best center of the 1960s and the best center in the history of one of the NHL's original six teams. What gives Messier the slight edge is that he was even better in the postseason than in the regular season, a key part of six championship teams. Mikita was no slouch either, but only won one championship, meaning he will have to defer to The Moose. But he's still deserving of a top-20 spot on the Pyramid.
#16 - Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #16)
Adjusted Stats
1971-1972 Mtl 77 GP 31 goals 37 assists 68 points 0.88 PPG
1972-1973 Mtl* 73 GP 28 goals 27 assists 54 points 0.74 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 77 GP 21 goals 35 assists 57 points 0.74 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 72 GP 49 goals 61 assists 110 points 1.53 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 82 GP 52 goals 64 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 82 GP 53 goals 76 assists 129 points 1.57 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 80 GP 57 goals 69 assists 126 points 1.58 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 82 GP 47 goals 69 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 76 GP 45 goals 67 assists 112 points 1.51 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 52 GP 22 goals 35 assists 57 points 1.10 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 68 GP 21 goals 45 assists 66 points 0.97 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 70 GP 22 goals 40 assists 62 points 0.89 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 82 GP 24 goals 32 assists 56 points 0.68 PPG
1984-1985 Mtl 19 GP 2 goals 2 assists 4 points 0.21 PPG
1988-1989 NYR 69 GP 15 goals 23 assists 38 points 0.55 PPG
1989-1990 Que 40 GP 10 goals 19 assists 29 points 0.73 PPG
1990-1991 Que 60 GP 11 goals 15 assists 26 points 0.43 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1971-1972 Mtl 6 GP 1 goal 4 assists 5 points 0.78 PPG
1972-1973 Mtl* 17 GP 3 goals 4 assists 7 points 0.42 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 11 GP 11 goals 6 assists 17 points 1.58 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 13 GP 7 goals 10 assists 17 points 1.27 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 14 GP 8 goals 15 assists 23 points 1.63 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 15 GP 10 goals 11 assists 20 points 1.36 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 16 GP 9 goals 12 assists 21 points 1.31 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 3 GP 3 goals 1 assist 3 points 1.14 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.24 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 5 GP 2 goals 1 assist 2 points 0.47 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 2 assists 2 points 0.52 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 12 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.22 PPG
1988-1989 NYR 4 GP 1 goal 0 assists 1 point 0.21 PPG
Career - 1161 GP, 510 goals, 716 assists, 1226 points, 1.06 PPG
Career-Highs - 57 goals (77-78); 76 assists (76-77); 129 points (76-77); 1.58 PPG (77-78)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 68 GP, 30 goals, 42 assists, 72 points, 1.06 PPG
Peak Avg. (74-82) - 74 GP, 43 goals, 61 assists, 104 points, 1.40 PPG, 4 Cups
Playoff Career - 128 GP, 55 goals, 71 assists, 123 points, 0.96 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 11 goals (74-75); 15 assists (76-77); 23 points (76-77); 1.63 PPG (76-77)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 3 Art Ross, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team
5-time Stanley Cup Champion
I suppose in determing where certain players rank on the list of the greatest players of all time comes down to a matter of personal taste. What do you value? Longevity? Consistency of production? Or do you, like me, prefer to see evidence of a player who, for a period of at least five years, dominated the league...someone who's star shone brightly, even if it faded off to soon.
If you're in the latter camp, then Guy Lafleur is one of the all-time greats, no question. He ranks ahead of more consistent plodders like Messier, Francis and Gartner, even though his career totals and averages, while respectable, don't seem to put him in that class. No one, not even the Bruins triumverate of Orr, Esposito and Bucyk, has a greater disparity between their peak years and every other season in their career.
Just look at the gap between Lafleur's magical run from 1974-1980 and the seasons that preceded and followed that span:
Six Peak Years - 79 GP, 51 goals, 68 assists, 118 points, 1.50 PPG, 4 Cups
Every Other Year - 62 GP, 19 goals, 28 assists, 47 points, 0.75 PPG, 1 Cup
It's essentially two different players. So what explains it? The common wisdom is that Lafleur's lackluster early years were a product of his not fully reaching his potential: he had the skillset to make him the first overall draft pick of the 1971 entry draft, but didn't have the work ethic to develop those skills into those of an elite NHL player. And as for the dropoff in the later years? In a word: booze. Lafleur was well known for living the high life during the late 1970s, and it evidently caught up to him, causing a noticeable decline while he was still relatively young.
Lafleur's decline effectively ended the Canadiens' dynasty. With them relying on a now unproductive superstar, there was no way the Canadiens could realistically compete with the up-and-coming Islanders and Oilers. Lafleur battled his way through injuries in the 1984-1985 season before announcing a lackluster retirement, but he was able to come out of retirement for three more years in the late 1980s. The image of Lafleur in a Rangers (and then Nordiques) uniform may have tarnished some's memory of the man, but at least it allowed Lafleur a proper sendoff.
So again, it comes back to what we value: sustained consistency or brief magic. Among the list of right-wingers, I might be inclined to give the slight edge to Jagr, since he put up Lafleur-like numbers for a longer period of time, but there's also no denying that Lafleur was integral to four championship teams, while Jagr only has two to his name (and they were more due to Mario Lemieux's excellence). And I would certainly take Lafleur's six-year run as the best player in the league over someone like Messier, who was a top-ten player for a good chunk of time, but never once would be mistaken for top five. It wasn't for a very long time, but when he was at his best, there were few better than Guy Lafleur.
Adjusted Stats
1971-1972 Mtl 77 GP 31 goals 37 assists 68 points 0.88 PPG
1972-1973 Mtl* 73 GP 28 goals 27 assists 54 points 0.74 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 77 GP 21 goals 35 assists 57 points 0.74 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 72 GP 49 goals 61 assists 110 points 1.53 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 82 GP 52 goals 64 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 82 GP 53 goals 76 assists 129 points 1.57 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 80 GP 57 goals 69 assists 126 points 1.58 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 82 GP 47 goals 69 assists 116 points 1.41 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 76 GP 45 goals 67 assists 112 points 1.51 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 52 GP 22 goals 35 assists 57 points 1.10 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 68 GP 21 goals 45 assists 66 points 0.97 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 70 GP 22 goals 40 assists 62 points 0.89 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 82 GP 24 goals 32 assists 56 points 0.68 PPG
1984-1985 Mtl 19 GP 2 goals 2 assists 4 points 0.21 PPG
1988-1989 NYR 69 GP 15 goals 23 assists 38 points 0.55 PPG
1989-1990 Que 40 GP 10 goals 19 assists 29 points 0.73 PPG
1990-1991 Que 60 GP 11 goals 15 assists 26 points 0.43 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1971-1972 Mtl 6 GP 1 goal 4 assists 5 points 0.78 PPG
1972-1973 Mtl* 17 GP 3 goals 4 assists 7 points 0.42 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 11 GP 11 goals 6 assists 17 points 1.58 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 13 GP 7 goals 10 assists 17 points 1.27 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 14 GP 8 goals 15 assists 23 points 1.63 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 15 GP 10 goals 11 assists 20 points 1.36 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 16 GP 9 goals 12 assists 21 points 1.31 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 3 GP 3 goals 1 assist 3 points 1.14 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.24 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 5 GP 2 goals 1 assist 2 points 0.47 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 2 assists 2 points 0.52 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 12 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.22 PPG
1988-1989 NYR 4 GP 1 goal 0 assists 1 point 0.21 PPG
Career - 1161 GP, 510 goals, 716 assists, 1226 points, 1.06 PPG
Career-Highs - 57 goals (77-78); 76 assists (76-77); 129 points (76-77); 1.58 PPG (77-78)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 68 GP, 30 goals, 42 assists, 72 points, 1.06 PPG
Peak Avg. (74-82) - 74 GP, 43 goals, 61 assists, 104 points, 1.40 PPG, 4 Cups
Playoff Career - 128 GP, 55 goals, 71 assists, 123 points, 0.96 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 11 goals (74-75); 15 assists (76-77); 23 points (76-77); 1.63 PPG (76-77)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 3 Art Ross, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team
5-time Stanley Cup Champion
I suppose in determing where certain players rank on the list of the greatest players of all time comes down to a matter of personal taste. What do you value? Longevity? Consistency of production? Or do you, like me, prefer to see evidence of a player who, for a period of at least five years, dominated the league...someone who's star shone brightly, even if it faded off to soon.
If you're in the latter camp, then Guy Lafleur is one of the all-time greats, no question. He ranks ahead of more consistent plodders like Messier, Francis and Gartner, even though his career totals and averages, while respectable, don't seem to put him in that class. No one, not even the Bruins triumverate of Orr, Esposito and Bucyk, has a greater disparity between their peak years and every other season in their career.
Just look at the gap between Lafleur's magical run from 1974-1980 and the seasons that preceded and followed that span:
Six Peak Years - 79 GP, 51 goals, 68 assists, 118 points, 1.50 PPG, 4 Cups
Every Other Year - 62 GP, 19 goals, 28 assists, 47 points, 0.75 PPG, 1 Cup
It's essentially two different players. So what explains it? The common wisdom is that Lafleur's lackluster early years were a product of his not fully reaching his potential: he had the skillset to make him the first overall draft pick of the 1971 entry draft, but didn't have the work ethic to develop those skills into those of an elite NHL player. And as for the dropoff in the later years? In a word: booze. Lafleur was well known for living the high life during the late 1970s, and it evidently caught up to him, causing a noticeable decline while he was still relatively young.
Lafleur's decline effectively ended the Canadiens' dynasty. With them relying on a now unproductive superstar, there was no way the Canadiens could realistically compete with the up-and-coming Islanders and Oilers. Lafleur battled his way through injuries in the 1984-1985 season before announcing a lackluster retirement, but he was able to come out of retirement for three more years in the late 1980s. The image of Lafleur in a Rangers (and then Nordiques) uniform may have tarnished some's memory of the man, but at least it allowed Lafleur a proper sendoff.
So again, it comes back to what we value: sustained consistency or brief magic. Among the list of right-wingers, I might be inclined to give the slight edge to Jagr, since he put up Lafleur-like numbers for a longer period of time, but there's also no denying that Lafleur was integral to four championship teams, while Jagr only has two to his name (and they were more due to Mario Lemieux's excellence). And I would certainly take Lafleur's six-year run as the best player in the league over someone like Messier, who was a top-ten player for a good chunk of time, but never once would be mistaken for top five. It wasn't for a very long time, but when he was at his best, there were few better than Guy Lafleur.
#15 - Joe Sakic
Joe Sakic (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #15)
Adjusted Stats
1988-1989 Que 72 GP 19 goals 33 assists 52 points 0.73 PPG
1989-1990 Que 82 GP 34 goals 54 assists 87 points 1.06 PPG
1990-1991 Que 82 GP 44 goals 55 assists 99 points 1.21 PPG
1991-1992 Que 71 GP 27 goals 58 assists 85 points 1.20 PPG
1992-1993 Que 76 GP 40 goals 47 assists 87 points 1.14 PPG
1993-1994 Que 82 GP 26 goals 60 assists 85 points 1.04 PPG
1994-1995 Que 80 GP 34 goals 75 assists 109 points 1.36 PPG
1995-1996 Col* 82 GP 50 goals 67 assists 117 points 1.43 PPG
1996-1997 Col 65 GP 23 goals 55 assists 78 points 1.20 PPG
1997-1998 Col 64 GP 31 goals 42 assists 73 points 1.14 PPG
1998-1999 Col 73 GP 48 goals 64 assists 112 points 1.53 PPG
1999-2000 Col 60 GP 31 goals 59 assists 91 points 1.52 PPG
2000-2001 Col* 82 GP 60 goals 71 assists 132 points 1.61 PPG
2001-2002 Col 82 GP 31 goals 62 assists 93 points 1.13 PPG
2002-2003 Col 58 GP 30 goals 37 assists 67 points 1.16 PPG
2003-2004 Col 81 GP 39 goals 65 assists 104 points 1.28 PPG
2005-2006 Col 82 GP 33 goals 56 assists 89 points 1.08 PPG
2006-2007 Col 82 GP 38 goals 68 assists 107 points 1.30 PPG
2007-2008 Col 44 GP 15 goals 31 assists 45 points 1.03 PPG
2008-2009 Col 15 GP 2 goals 11 assists 13 points 0.86 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1992-1993 Que 6 GP 2 goals 2 assists 5 points 0.82 PPG
1994-1995 Que 6 GP 4 goals 1 assist 4 points 0.74 PPG
1995-1996 Col* 22 GP 17 goals 15 assists 32 points 1.48 PPG
1996-1997 Col 17 GP 8 goals 18 assists 26 points 1.54 PPG
1997-1998 Col 6 GP 2 goals 3 assists 6 points 0.93 PPG
1998-1999 Col 19 GP 7 goals 14 assists 21 points 1.10 PPG
1999-2000 Col 17 GP 2 goals 8 assists 11 points 0.64 PPG
2000-2001 Col* 21 GP 15 goals 15 assists 30 points 1.45 PPG
2001-2002 Col 21 GP 11 goals 12 assists 23 points 1.08 PPG
2002-2003 Col 7 GP 7 goals 4 assists 11 points 1.53 PPG
2003-2004 Col 11 GP 9 goals 6 assists 15 points 1.39 PPG
2005-2006 Col 9 GP 4 goals 5 assists 9 points 0.99 PPG
2007-2008 Col 10 GP 2 goals 8 assists 10 points 1.05 PPG
Career - 1415 GP, 655 goals, 1070 assists, 1724 points, 1.22 PPG
Career-Highs - 60 goals (00-01); 71 assists (00-01); 132 points (00-01); 1.61 PPG
Avg. (21 seasons) - 67 GP, 31 goals, 51 assists, 82 points, 1.22 PPG
Peak Avg. (94-02) - 74 GP, 39 goals, 62 assists, 101 points, 1.37 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 172 GP, 90 goals, 111 assists, 203 points, 1.18 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 17 goals (95-96); 18 assists (96-97); 32 points (95-96); 1.54 PPG (96-97)
Accolades - MVP award, 1 Lady Byng, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
Joe Sakic wasn't the best player I ever saw play, but he was my favourite player not named Martin Brodeur. There was a certain combination of calmness, class and excellence that Sakic brought to the table that was unlike everyone except the player and fellow center to which he is most often compared: Steve Yzerman. Yzerman and Sakic are essentially interchangeable, similar versions of the same player.
Later in his career, Yzerman was the superior defensive player, but Sakic at his prime might have been more of an offensive force. It's interesting looking at Sakic's career to see how consistent he is: except for his final season, in which injuries and age caught up to him, and his rookie year, Sakic never averaged less than a point a game in adjusted stats.
Sakic, as we will see with Jagr, Selanne and others who hit their prime in the mid-to-late 90s, actually benefits from the adjusted statistics significantly, and that is as it should be. The fact that Sakic's actual totals were more in the 80-to-90 point range for most of his seasons should be considered in the context that he was playing during the peak of the clutch-and-grab, shut-down, defensive-minded "trap" era. That's why Sakic's 2000-2001 season is so remarkable: he scored 118 points, Jagr scored 121, and after them the next closest was Patrik Elias with 96.
It's interesting to note that Sakic comes immediately after Beliveau and Esposito in my center rankings, because his career shares some traits with each. As with Beliveau, Sakic's team success directly corresponded to his individual play: his two best seasons also happen to be the ones in which the Colorado Avalanche won the Cup. And as with Esposito with Orr, a case can be made that Sakic's career, great as it was, only truly took off when Peter Forsberg arrived on the scene in 1994. But just as Esposito shouldn't be overshadowed, Sakic should be remembered for being part of an indelible 1-1A punch along with Peter the Great.
A testament to how great Sakic was: when the 2006 Canadian Olympic team was being announced, they decided to reveal the names in alphabetical order. The names were coming down and there were a few surprises, but then I noticed that they had gotten to Joe Thornton and Sakic hadn't yet been named. I remember going batshit crazy thinking "How the fuck could they have left Sakic off the team?!?!?!", but fortunately within a minute or so, they closed out the announcement with "And of course, our captain: Joe Sakic".
Adjusted Stats
1988-1989 Que 72 GP 19 goals 33 assists 52 points 0.73 PPG
1989-1990 Que 82 GP 34 goals 54 assists 87 points 1.06 PPG
1990-1991 Que 82 GP 44 goals 55 assists 99 points 1.21 PPG
1991-1992 Que 71 GP 27 goals 58 assists 85 points 1.20 PPG
1992-1993 Que 76 GP 40 goals 47 assists 87 points 1.14 PPG
1993-1994 Que 82 GP 26 goals 60 assists 85 points 1.04 PPG
1994-1995 Que 80 GP 34 goals 75 assists 109 points 1.36 PPG
1995-1996 Col* 82 GP 50 goals 67 assists 117 points 1.43 PPG
1996-1997 Col 65 GP 23 goals 55 assists 78 points 1.20 PPG
1997-1998 Col 64 GP 31 goals 42 assists 73 points 1.14 PPG
1998-1999 Col 73 GP 48 goals 64 assists 112 points 1.53 PPG
1999-2000 Col 60 GP 31 goals 59 assists 91 points 1.52 PPG
2000-2001 Col* 82 GP 60 goals 71 assists 132 points 1.61 PPG
2001-2002 Col 82 GP 31 goals 62 assists 93 points 1.13 PPG
2002-2003 Col 58 GP 30 goals 37 assists 67 points 1.16 PPG
2003-2004 Col 81 GP 39 goals 65 assists 104 points 1.28 PPG
2005-2006 Col 82 GP 33 goals 56 assists 89 points 1.08 PPG
2006-2007 Col 82 GP 38 goals 68 assists 107 points 1.30 PPG
2007-2008 Col 44 GP 15 goals 31 assists 45 points 1.03 PPG
2008-2009 Col 15 GP 2 goals 11 assists 13 points 0.86 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1992-1993 Que 6 GP 2 goals 2 assists 5 points 0.82 PPG
1994-1995 Que 6 GP 4 goals 1 assist 4 points 0.74 PPG
1995-1996 Col* 22 GP 17 goals 15 assists 32 points 1.48 PPG
1996-1997 Col 17 GP 8 goals 18 assists 26 points 1.54 PPG
1997-1998 Col 6 GP 2 goals 3 assists 6 points 0.93 PPG
1998-1999 Col 19 GP 7 goals 14 assists 21 points 1.10 PPG
1999-2000 Col 17 GP 2 goals 8 assists 11 points 0.64 PPG
2000-2001 Col* 21 GP 15 goals 15 assists 30 points 1.45 PPG
2001-2002 Col 21 GP 11 goals 12 assists 23 points 1.08 PPG
2002-2003 Col 7 GP 7 goals 4 assists 11 points 1.53 PPG
2003-2004 Col 11 GP 9 goals 6 assists 15 points 1.39 PPG
2005-2006 Col 9 GP 4 goals 5 assists 9 points 0.99 PPG
2007-2008 Col 10 GP 2 goals 8 assists 10 points 1.05 PPG
Career - 1415 GP, 655 goals, 1070 assists, 1724 points, 1.22 PPG
Career-Highs - 60 goals (00-01); 71 assists (00-01); 132 points (00-01); 1.61 PPG
Avg. (21 seasons) - 67 GP, 31 goals, 51 assists, 82 points, 1.22 PPG
Peak Avg. (94-02) - 74 GP, 39 goals, 62 assists, 101 points, 1.37 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 172 GP, 90 goals, 111 assists, 203 points, 1.18 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 17 goals (95-96); 18 assists (96-97); 32 points (95-96); 1.54 PPG (96-97)
Accolades - MVP award, 1 Lady Byng, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
Joe Sakic wasn't the best player I ever saw play, but he was my favourite player not named Martin Brodeur. There was a certain combination of calmness, class and excellence that Sakic brought to the table that was unlike everyone except the player and fellow center to which he is most often compared: Steve Yzerman. Yzerman and Sakic are essentially interchangeable, similar versions of the same player.
Later in his career, Yzerman was the superior defensive player, but Sakic at his prime might have been more of an offensive force. It's interesting looking at Sakic's career to see how consistent he is: except for his final season, in which injuries and age caught up to him, and his rookie year, Sakic never averaged less than a point a game in adjusted stats.
Sakic, as we will see with Jagr, Selanne and others who hit their prime in the mid-to-late 90s, actually benefits from the adjusted statistics significantly, and that is as it should be. The fact that Sakic's actual totals were more in the 80-to-90 point range for most of his seasons should be considered in the context that he was playing during the peak of the clutch-and-grab, shut-down, defensive-minded "trap" era. That's why Sakic's 2000-2001 season is so remarkable: he scored 118 points, Jagr scored 121, and after them the next closest was Patrik Elias with 96.
It's interesting to note that Sakic comes immediately after Beliveau and Esposito in my center rankings, because his career shares some traits with each. As with Beliveau, Sakic's team success directly corresponded to his individual play: his two best seasons also happen to be the ones in which the Colorado Avalanche won the Cup. And as with Esposito with Orr, a case can be made that Sakic's career, great as it was, only truly took off when Peter Forsberg arrived on the scene in 1994. But just as Esposito shouldn't be overshadowed, Sakic should be remembered for being part of an indelible 1-1A punch along with Peter the Great.
A testament to how great Sakic was: when the 2006 Canadian Olympic team was being announced, they decided to reveal the names in alphabetical order. The names were coming down and there were a few surprises, but then I noticed that they had gotten to Joe Thornton and Sakic hadn't yet been named. I remember going batshit crazy thinking "How the fuck could they have left Sakic off the team?!?!?!", but fortunately within a minute or so, they closed out the announcement with "And of course, our captain: Joe Sakic".
#14 - Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #14)
Adjusted Stats
1963-1964 Chi 32 GP 4 goals 2 assists 6 points 0.22 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 82 GP 29 goals 40 assists 69 points 0.84 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 81 GP 32 goals 30 assists 63 points 0.78 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 81 GP 26 goals 48 assists 74 points 0.91 PPG
1967-1968 Bos 82 GP 43 goals 60 assists 103 points 1.26 PPG
1968-1969 Bos 80 GP 55 goals 85 assists 140 points 1.76 PPG
1969-1970 Bos* 82 GP 49 goals 64 assists 113 points 1.38 PPG
1970-1971 Bos 82 GP 79 goals 79 assists 158 points 1.92 PPG
1971-1972 Bos* 80 GP 69 goals 70 assists 140 points 1.75 PPG
1972-1973 Bos 82 GP 55 goals 74 assists 128 points 1.56 PPG
1973-1974 Bos 82 GP 68 goals 78 assists 147 points 1.79 PPG
1974-1975 Bos 81 GP 56 goals 60 assists 117 points 1.44 PPG
1975-1976 Bos/NYR 76 GP 33 goals 44 assists 77 points 1.01 PPG
1976-1977 NYR 82 GP 32 goals 44 assists 76 points 0.93 PPG
1977-1978 NYR 81 GP 36 goals 41 assists 78 points 0.96 PPG
1978-1979 NYR 82 GP 38 goals 33 assists 71 points 0.86 PPG
1979-1980 NYR 82 GP 31 goals 39 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1980-1981 NYR 42 GP 6 goals 10 assists 16 points 0.39 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1963-1964 Chi 4 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 13 GP 3 goals 3 assists 7 points 0.50 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 6 GP 1 goal 1 assist 2 points 0.35 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 6 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1967-1968 Bos 4 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.75 PPG
1968-1969 Bos 10 GP 8 goals 10 assists 18 points 1.78 PPG
1969-1970 Bos* 14 GP 12 goals 13 assists 25 points 1.79 PPG
1970-1971 Bos 7 GP 3 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.31 PPG
1971-1972 Bos* 15 GP 8 goals 14 assists 22 points 1.49 PPG
1972-1973 Bos 2 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.44 PPG
1973-1974 Bos 16 GP 9 goals 5 assists 14 points 0.85 PPG
1974-1975 Bos 3 GP 4 goals 1 assist 5 points 1.53 PPG
1977-1978 NYR 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.32 PPG
1978-1979 NYR 18 GP 7 goals 11 assists 18 points 1.01 PPG
1979-1980 NYR 9 GP 3 goals 3 assists 5 points 0.57 PPG
Career - 1372 GP, 741 goals, 901 assists, 1646 points, 1.20 PPG
Career-Highs - 79 goals (70-71); 79 assists (70-71); 158 points (70-71); 1.92 PPG (70-71)
Avg. (18 seasons) - 76 GP, 41 goals, 50 assists, 91 points, 1.20 PPG
Peak Avg. (67-75) - 81 GP, 59 goals, 71 assists, 131 points, 1.61 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 130 GP, 58 goals, 72 assists, 130 points, 1.00 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 12 goals (69-70); 14 assists (71-72); 25 points (69-70); 1.79 PPG (69-70)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 5 Art Ross
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
We see Phil Esposito now on commercials with Frank D'Angelo, or remember his failed stint as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and perhaps begin to think of him as a little bit of a joke. It's the George Foreman syndrome: people think about the modern incarnation and forget how dominant these guys were as youngsters.
But don't make that mistake with Esposito. Here's something that may shock you: in terms of adjusted numbers, Phil Esposito holds the record for most goals in a season...not Wayne Gretzky (I'm not counting the pre-1930s numbers of Howie Morenz, Bill Cook, etc). Esposito's 76 in 1970-1971 absolutely shattered the previous record and was head-and-shoulders above anyone else's total that year. The next closest goal scorer that year was his Boston teammate John Bucyk, with 51...I guess someone had to pot all of those passes from Orr (by comparison, the year Gretzky potted 92 was the highest-scoring season in NHL history...Mike Bossy scored 64 and Dennis Maruk scored 60).
Another somewhat surprising fact: no one aside from Wayne Gretzky has a better "peak average" than Esposito, and that peak is easy to see, from 1967 to 1975. Over those eight years, Espo scored more total goals than anyone (again, post-1935) ever has...a staggering average of 59 per season. Throw in 131 points and a PPG average of 1.61, and you see that Esposito was no mere passenger on the Bobby Orr Express.
Still...with Espo, there was always the question of how much his success was correlated to Orr's greatness. And certainly, it can be no coincidence that Esposito's peak average of 1967-1975 begins exactly when Orr came into the league and blossomed and ends exactly when Orr was essentially finished from injuries. But I've always viewed the "he owes his success to x" arguments as somewhat thin...they were leveled at Martin Brodeur early in his career ("he's the product of a great defence"), until Brodeur proved to be one of the best goalies of all-time. And in a different sport, they were also brought up against Tom Brady ("any quarterback could succeed in that system"), and we all know how those arguments turned out.
So, yes, Esposito benefited from Orr, just as Kurri benefited from Gretzky. But somebody had to finish those passes from Orr...Esposito was the best at it. Having seen some Bruins games on ESPN classic or the NHL network, I'm surprised by how much Esposito reminds me of one of today's stars, Evgeni Malkin. Neither player has/had blazing speed, but they are both huge, physical presences who have a gliding style. But even more so than Malkin, Esposito was known for his Andreychuk-like ability to score "garbage" goals in the slot. A popular bumper sticker in Boston during Esposito's time read "Jesus saves. Esposito scores on the rebound."
Indeed he did...fifth all-time in adjusted goals, eighth in points, two Cups, two MVP awards, the captain of the famous Team Canada team that participated in the Summit Series (and the Series' leading scorer as well). Perhaps he played in the shadow of Orr, but Esposito still remains one of the finest centers the league has seen.
Adjusted Stats
1963-1964 Chi 32 GP 4 goals 2 assists 6 points 0.22 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 82 GP 29 goals 40 assists 69 points 0.84 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 81 GP 32 goals 30 assists 63 points 0.78 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 81 GP 26 goals 48 assists 74 points 0.91 PPG
1967-1968 Bos 82 GP 43 goals 60 assists 103 points 1.26 PPG
1968-1969 Bos 80 GP 55 goals 85 assists 140 points 1.76 PPG
1969-1970 Bos* 82 GP 49 goals 64 assists 113 points 1.38 PPG
1970-1971 Bos 82 GP 79 goals 79 assists 158 points 1.92 PPG
1971-1972 Bos* 80 GP 69 goals 70 assists 140 points 1.75 PPG
1972-1973 Bos 82 GP 55 goals 74 assists 128 points 1.56 PPG
1973-1974 Bos 82 GP 68 goals 78 assists 147 points 1.79 PPG
1974-1975 Bos 81 GP 56 goals 60 assists 117 points 1.44 PPG
1975-1976 Bos/NYR 76 GP 33 goals 44 assists 77 points 1.01 PPG
1976-1977 NYR 82 GP 32 goals 44 assists 76 points 0.93 PPG
1977-1978 NYR 81 GP 36 goals 41 assists 78 points 0.96 PPG
1978-1979 NYR 82 GP 38 goals 33 assists 71 points 0.86 PPG
1979-1980 NYR 82 GP 31 goals 39 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1980-1981 NYR 42 GP 6 goals 10 assists 16 points 0.39 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1963-1964 Chi 4 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1964-1965 Chi 13 GP 3 goals 3 assists 7 points 0.50 PPG
1965-1966 Chi 6 GP 1 goal 1 assist 2 points 0.35 PPG
1966-1967 Chi 6 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1967-1968 Bos 4 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.75 PPG
1968-1969 Bos 10 GP 8 goals 10 assists 18 points 1.78 PPG
1969-1970 Bos* 14 GP 12 goals 13 assists 25 points 1.79 PPG
1970-1971 Bos 7 GP 3 goals 6 assists 9 points 1.31 PPG
1971-1972 Bos* 15 GP 8 goals 14 assists 22 points 1.49 PPG
1972-1973 Bos 2 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.44 PPG
1973-1974 Bos 16 GP 9 goals 5 assists 14 points 0.85 PPG
1974-1975 Bos 3 GP 4 goals 1 assist 5 points 1.53 PPG
1977-1978 NYR 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.32 PPG
1978-1979 NYR 18 GP 7 goals 11 assists 18 points 1.01 PPG
1979-1980 NYR 9 GP 3 goals 3 assists 5 points 0.57 PPG
Career - 1372 GP, 741 goals, 901 assists, 1646 points, 1.20 PPG
Career-Highs - 79 goals (70-71); 79 assists (70-71); 158 points (70-71); 1.92 PPG (70-71)
Avg. (18 seasons) - 76 GP, 41 goals, 50 assists, 91 points, 1.20 PPG
Peak Avg. (67-75) - 81 GP, 59 goals, 71 assists, 131 points, 1.61 PPG, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 130 GP, 58 goals, 72 assists, 130 points, 1.00 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 12 goals (69-70); 14 assists (71-72); 25 points (69-70); 1.79 PPG (69-70)
Accolades - 2 MVP awards, 5 Art Ross
All-Star Teams - 6-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
We see Phil Esposito now on commercials with Frank D'Angelo, or remember his failed stint as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and perhaps begin to think of him as a little bit of a joke. It's the George Foreman syndrome: people think about the modern incarnation and forget how dominant these guys were as youngsters.
But don't make that mistake with Esposito. Here's something that may shock you: in terms of adjusted numbers, Phil Esposito holds the record for most goals in a season...not Wayne Gretzky (I'm not counting the pre-1930s numbers of Howie Morenz, Bill Cook, etc). Esposito's 76 in 1970-1971 absolutely shattered the previous record and was head-and-shoulders above anyone else's total that year. The next closest goal scorer that year was his Boston teammate John Bucyk, with 51...I guess someone had to pot all of those passes from Orr (by comparison, the year Gretzky potted 92 was the highest-scoring season in NHL history...Mike Bossy scored 64 and Dennis Maruk scored 60).
Another somewhat surprising fact: no one aside from Wayne Gretzky has a better "peak average" than Esposito, and that peak is easy to see, from 1967 to 1975. Over those eight years, Espo scored more total goals than anyone (again, post-1935) ever has...a staggering average of 59 per season. Throw in 131 points and a PPG average of 1.61, and you see that Esposito was no mere passenger on the Bobby Orr Express.
Still...with Espo, there was always the question of how much his success was correlated to Orr's greatness. And certainly, it can be no coincidence that Esposito's peak average of 1967-1975 begins exactly when Orr came into the league and blossomed and ends exactly when Orr was essentially finished from injuries. But I've always viewed the "he owes his success to x" arguments as somewhat thin...they were leveled at Martin Brodeur early in his career ("he's the product of a great defence"), until Brodeur proved to be one of the best goalies of all-time. And in a different sport, they were also brought up against Tom Brady ("any quarterback could succeed in that system"), and we all know how those arguments turned out.
So, yes, Esposito benefited from Orr, just as Kurri benefited from Gretzky. But somebody had to finish those passes from Orr...Esposito was the best at it. Having seen some Bruins games on ESPN classic or the NHL network, I'm surprised by how much Esposito reminds me of one of today's stars, Evgeni Malkin. Neither player has/had blazing speed, but they are both huge, physical presences who have a gliding style. But even more so than Malkin, Esposito was known for his Andreychuk-like ability to score "garbage" goals in the slot. A popular bumper sticker in Boston during Esposito's time read "Jesus saves. Esposito scores on the rebound."
Indeed he did...fifth all-time in adjusted goals, eighth in points, two Cups, two MVP awards, the captain of the famous Team Canada team that participated in the Summit Series (and the Series' leading scorer as well). Perhaps he played in the shadow of Orr, but Esposito still remains one of the finest centers the league has seen.
#13 - Doug Harvey
Doug Harvey (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #13)
Adjusted Stats
1947-1948 Mtl 48 GP 6 goals 6 assists 11 points 0.24 PPG
1948-1949 Mtl 75 GP 5 goals 20 assists 25 points 0.33 PPG
1949-1950 Mtl 82 GP 5 goals 26 assists 32 points 0.39 PPG
1950-1951 Mtl 82 GP 7 goals 32 assists 39 points 0.47 PPG
1951-1952 Mtl 80 GP 8 goals 32 assists 40 points 0.51 PPG
1952-1953 Mtl* 81 GP 6 goals 45 assists 51 points 0.63 PPG
1953-1954 Mtl 80 GP 12 goals 44 assists 56 points 0.70 PPG
1954-1955 Mtl 82 GP 9 goals 61 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1955-1956 Mtl* 73 GP 7 goals 55 assists 63 points 0.86 PPG
1956-1957 Mtl* 82 GP 8 goals 59 assists 67 points 0.82 PPG
1957-1958 Mtl* 80 GP 12 goals 41 assists 53 points 0.66 PPG
1958-1959 Mtl* 71 GP 5 goals 20 assists 25 points 0.35 PPG
1959-1960 Mtl* 77 GP 7 goals 26 assists 33 points 0.43 PPG
1960-1961 Mtl 68 GP 7 goals 40 assists 47 points 0.69 PPG
1961-1962 NYR 81 GP 7 goals 29 assists 36 points 0.44 PPG
1962-1963 NYR 80 GP 5 goals 42 assists 47 points 0.59 PPG
1963-1964 NYR 16 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.16 PPG
1966-1967 Det 2 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1967-1968 Stl 76 GP 2 goals 22 assists 24 points 0.32 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1948-1949 Mtl 7 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1949-1950 Mtl 5 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.52 PPG
1950-1951 Mtl 11 GP 0 goals 7 assists 7 points 0.62 PPG
1951-1952 Mtl 11 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.39 PPG
1952-1953 Mtl* 12 GP 0 goals 5 assists 5 points 0.43 PPG
1953-1954 Mtl 10 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.26 PPG
1954-1955 Mtl 12 GP 0 goals 10 assists 10 points 0.81 PPG
1955-1956 Mtl* 10 GP 2 goals 5 assists 7 points 0.70 PPG
1956-1957 Mtl* 10 GP 0 goals 7 assists 7 points 0.70 PPG
1957-1958 Mtl* 10 GP 2 goals 8 assists 10 points 1.00 PPG
1958-1959 Mtl* 11 GP 1 goal 10 assists 11 points 1.02 PPG
1959-1960 Mtl* 8 GP 3 goals 0 assists 3 points 0.39 PPG
1960-1961 Mtl 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.19 PPG
1961-1962 NYR 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.17 PPG
1967-1968 Stl 8 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.50 PPG
Career - 1316 GP, 118 goals, 603 assists, 722 points, 0.55 PPG
Career-Highs - 12 goals (53-54); 61 assists (54-55); 70 points (54-55); 0.86 PPG (55-56)
Avg. (19 seasons) - 69 GP, 6 goals, 32 assists, 38 points, 0.55 PPG
Peak Avg. (50-58) - 80 GP, 9 goals, 46 assists, 55 points, 0.69 PPG, 4 Cups
Playoff Career - 137 GP, 8 goals, 69 assists, 77 points, 0.56 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 3 goals (59-60); 10 assists (58-59); 11 points (58-59); 1.02 PPG (58-59)
Accolades - 7 Norris Trophies
All-Star Teams - 10-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
Harvey's place on my pyramid is more due to his reputation among those who saw him than any personal knowledge I have of his game. When The Hockey News did its poll of the 50 greatest players of all-time in 1997, Harvey placed #6 all-time, and he still retained his spot as the 2nd best defenceman ever (behind you know who) 14 years later, even in the post-Lidstrom era.
I rank Lidstrom and Bourque slightly ahead of Harvey just because the former players played during a 20+ team league, while Harvey dominated the Original Six. Harvey's offensive statistics rank near the bottom of anyone on the pyramid, across the board (only Scott Stevens and Chris Chelios are comparable). Yet I trust those who say that Harvey controlled the pace of the game while he played, and that he laid the groundwork for Bobby Orr's transformation of the way defencemen were viewed.
Harvey was a defensive-defenseman first and foremost, and by that criteria, he had few peers. He was the anchor of the Habs' team that won five straight Stanley Cup championships and consistently led the league in goals against average. Harvey was also the quarterback of a Canadiens' power play that was so dominant, it forced the league to change its rules so that 2-minute penalties ended as soon as the team with the power play scored.
What really elevates Harvey's status, aside from the six Stanley Cup championships, is how he was viewed at the time he played. 10 first-team all-star selections and 7 Norris trophies indicate that Harvey was regarded as hands-down the best defenceman in the league at the time he played. I've seen Harvey on a few ESPN classic games, and what I find noteworthy is how slow and disinterested he seems at times, almost as if he is floating in the slot area on defence. Yet he always manages to pick off the puck and start a beautiful rush the other way. That's what Harvey mastered before Orr came along, and it was enough to earn him a high spot on the pyramid list of the greatest defencemen to play the game.
Adjusted Stats
1947-1948 Mtl 48 GP 6 goals 6 assists 11 points 0.24 PPG
1948-1949 Mtl 75 GP 5 goals 20 assists 25 points 0.33 PPG
1949-1950 Mtl 82 GP 5 goals 26 assists 32 points 0.39 PPG
1950-1951 Mtl 82 GP 7 goals 32 assists 39 points 0.47 PPG
1951-1952 Mtl 80 GP 8 goals 32 assists 40 points 0.51 PPG
1952-1953 Mtl* 81 GP 6 goals 45 assists 51 points 0.63 PPG
1953-1954 Mtl 80 GP 12 goals 44 assists 56 points 0.70 PPG
1954-1955 Mtl 82 GP 9 goals 61 assists 70 points 0.85 PPG
1955-1956 Mtl* 73 GP 7 goals 55 assists 63 points 0.86 PPG
1956-1957 Mtl* 82 GP 8 goals 59 assists 67 points 0.82 PPG
1957-1958 Mtl* 80 GP 12 goals 41 assists 53 points 0.66 PPG
1958-1959 Mtl* 71 GP 5 goals 20 assists 25 points 0.35 PPG
1959-1960 Mtl* 77 GP 7 goals 26 assists 33 points 0.43 PPG
1960-1961 Mtl 68 GP 7 goals 40 assists 47 points 0.69 PPG
1961-1962 NYR 81 GP 7 goals 29 assists 36 points 0.44 PPG
1962-1963 NYR 80 GP 5 goals 42 assists 47 points 0.59 PPG
1963-1964 NYR 16 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.16 PPG
1966-1967 Det 2 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1967-1968 Stl 76 GP 2 goals 22 assists 24 points 0.32 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1948-1949 Mtl 7 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1949-1950 Mtl 5 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.52 PPG
1950-1951 Mtl 11 GP 0 goals 7 assists 7 points 0.62 PPG
1951-1952 Mtl 11 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.39 PPG
1952-1953 Mtl* 12 GP 0 goals 5 assists 5 points 0.43 PPG
1953-1954 Mtl 10 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.26 PPG
1954-1955 Mtl 12 GP 0 goals 10 assists 10 points 0.81 PPG
1955-1956 Mtl* 10 GP 2 goals 5 assists 7 points 0.70 PPG
1956-1957 Mtl* 10 GP 0 goals 7 assists 7 points 0.70 PPG
1957-1958 Mtl* 10 GP 2 goals 8 assists 10 points 1.00 PPG
1958-1959 Mtl* 11 GP 1 goal 10 assists 11 points 1.02 PPG
1959-1960 Mtl* 8 GP 3 goals 0 assists 3 points 0.39 PPG
1960-1961 Mtl 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.19 PPG
1961-1962 NYR 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.17 PPG
1967-1968 Stl 8 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.50 PPG
Career - 1316 GP, 118 goals, 603 assists, 722 points, 0.55 PPG
Career-Highs - 12 goals (53-54); 61 assists (54-55); 70 points (54-55); 0.86 PPG (55-56)
Avg. (19 seasons) - 69 GP, 6 goals, 32 assists, 38 points, 0.55 PPG
Peak Avg. (50-58) - 80 GP, 9 goals, 46 assists, 55 points, 0.69 PPG, 4 Cups
Playoff Career - 137 GP, 8 goals, 69 assists, 77 points, 0.56 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 3 goals (59-60); 10 assists (58-59); 11 points (58-59); 1.02 PPG (58-59)
Accolades - 7 Norris Trophies
All-Star Teams - 10-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
Harvey's place on my pyramid is more due to his reputation among those who saw him than any personal knowledge I have of his game. When The Hockey News did its poll of the 50 greatest players of all-time in 1997, Harvey placed #6 all-time, and he still retained his spot as the 2nd best defenceman ever (behind you know who) 14 years later, even in the post-Lidstrom era.
I rank Lidstrom and Bourque slightly ahead of Harvey just because the former players played during a 20+ team league, while Harvey dominated the Original Six. Harvey's offensive statistics rank near the bottom of anyone on the pyramid, across the board (only Scott Stevens and Chris Chelios are comparable). Yet I trust those who say that Harvey controlled the pace of the game while he played, and that he laid the groundwork for Bobby Orr's transformation of the way defencemen were viewed.
Harvey was a defensive-defenseman first and foremost, and by that criteria, he had few peers. He was the anchor of the Habs' team that won five straight Stanley Cup championships and consistently led the league in goals against average. Harvey was also the quarterback of a Canadiens' power play that was so dominant, it forced the league to change its rules so that 2-minute penalties ended as soon as the team with the power play scored.
What really elevates Harvey's status, aside from the six Stanley Cup championships, is how he was viewed at the time he played. 10 first-team all-star selections and 7 Norris trophies indicate that Harvey was regarded as hands-down the best defenceman in the league at the time he played. I've seen Harvey on a few ESPN classic games, and what I find noteworthy is how slow and disinterested he seems at times, almost as if he is floating in the slot area on defence. Yet he always manages to pick off the puck and start a beautiful rush the other way. That's what Harvey mastered before Orr came along, and it was enough to earn him a high spot on the pyramid list of the greatest defencemen to play the game.
#12 - Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #12)
Adjusted Stats
1990-1991 Pit* 82 GP 25 goals 27 assists 52 points 0.63 PPG
1991-1992 Pit* 72 GP 29 goals 34 assists 63 points 0.87 PPG
1992-1993 Pit 79 GP 28 goals 50 assists 78 points 0.98 PPG
1993-1994 Pit 78 GP 30 goals 62 assists 92 points 1.17 PPG
1994-1995 Pit 82 GP 56 goals 67 assists 123 points 1.50 PPG
1995-1996 Pit 82 GP 61 goals 85 assists 146 points 1.78 PPG
1996-1997 Pit 63 GP 50 goals 51 assists 100 points 1.59 PPG
1997-1998 Pit 77 GP 41 goals 78 assists 119 points 1.54 PPG
1998-1999 Pit 81 GP 51 goals 97 assists 148 points 1.83 PPG
1999-2000 Pit 63 GP 47 goals 60 assists 107 points 1.71 PPG
2000-2001 Pit 81 GP 58 goals 77 assists 135 points 1.67 PPG
2001-2002 Wsh 69 GP 36 goals 56 assists 93 points 1.34 PPG
2002-2003 Wsh 75 GP 42 goals 47 assists 89 points 1.19 PPG
2003-2004 Wsh/NYR 77 GP 37 goals 51 assists 89 points 1.15 PPG
2005-2006 NYR 82 GP 55 goals 70 assists 125 points 1.52 PPG
2006-2007 NYR 82 GP 32 goals 70 assists 103 points 1.25 PPG
2007-2008 NYR 82 GP 28 goals 52 assists 80 points 0.98 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1990-1991 Pit* 24 GP 3 goals 9 assists 11 points 0.46 PPG
1991-1992 Pit* 21 GP 10 goals 11 assists 21 points 1.00 PPG
1992-1993 Pit 12 GP 4 goals 3 assists 7 points 0.62 PPG
1993-1994 Pit 6 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.98 PPG
1994-1995 Pit 12 GP 9 goals 4 assists 13 points 1.10 PPG
1995-1996 Pit 18 GP 11 goals 11 assists 22 points 1.22 PPG
1996-1997 Pit 5 GP 4 goals 4 assists 8 points 1.68 PPG
1997-1998 Pit 6 GP 4 goals 6 assists 10 points 1.67 PPG
1998-1999 Pit 9 GP 5 goals 8 assists 13 points 1.46 PPG
1999-2000 Pit 11 GP 10 goals 10 assists 19 points 1.75 PPG
2000-2001 Pit 16 GP 2 goals 12 assists 14 points 0.88 PPG
2002-2003 Wsh 6 GP 2 goals 6 assists 8 points 1.39 PPG
2005-2006 NYR 3 GP 0 goals 1 assists 1 point 0.33 PPG
2006-2007 NYR 10 GP 6 goals 7 assists 12 points 1.25 PPG
2007-2008 NYR 10 GP 5 goals 10 assists 16 points 1.57 PPG
Career - 1307 GP, 706 goals, 1034 assists, 1742 points, 1.33 PPG
Career-Highs - 61 goals (95-96); 97 assists (98-99); 148 points (98-99); 1.83 PPG (98-99)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 77 GP, 42 goals, 61 assists, 102 points, 1.33 PPG
Peak Avg. (94-02) - 75 GP, 50 goals, 71 assists, 121 points, 1.62 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 169 GP, 77 goals, 106 assists, 181 points, 1.07 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 11 goals (95-96); 12 assists (00-01); 22 points (95-96); 1.75 PPG (99-00)
Accolades - 1 MVP award, 5 Art Ross
All-Star Teams - 7-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
There is a case to be made that, aside from the Pantheon names of Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr is the best offensive player ever to play in the NHL. This surprises many, but the facts are too numerous to ignore:
- His 1,742 career adjusted points rank him fifth behind just Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Ron Francis. For the record, Messier and Francis each played about 500 more games than Jagr. If Jagr averaged 10 points a season for just three more seasons, a scorching Tie Domi pace, he's ahead of them.
- His average of 102 adjusted points per season played is second only to The Great One...and along with Gretzky, he's the only player to average over 100 points a season. This of course means that Jagr holds the highest average of any non-center.
- His peak average of 121 points per season ranks third, behind just Gretzky and Esposito; and his peak-average PPG ranks third behind just Gretzky and Lemieux.
- He won the Art Ross Trophy five times as the league's leading scorer.
Jagr benefits from the adjusted-stats more than most players, because the fact is that his prime, when he was tearing up the league, occurred from 1994-2002, at the peak of the Trap Era, when players with 80 points in a season would routinely crack the top ten and even the top five. It also didn't help Jagr and his fellow forwards that the Trap Era also boasted the best era of goaltending we've seen (Roy, Brodeur, Belfour, Hasek and Joseph were all at their best during these years). In spite of all this, Jagr managed to put up remarkable numbers.
By objective criteria, Jagr is clearly in the top twenty players of all-time, and perhaps deserves consideration for the top ten (he's outside my top ten, but still within the 11-15 range...and ahead of Messier in my eyes, which shocks many). Among right-wingers, Howe clearly bests him, as does Richard for his legendary status and fierce competitiveness. Lafleur's peak was equal to Jagr's, but unlike Jagr, Lafleur fell off the map after his peak.
So the case has been made, and yet...and yet...there is something about Jagr that, particularly among Canadians, doesn't seem to qualify him for the discussion of the greatest players of all time. Part of it may be the fact that, although Jagr won two Stanley Cups, they were at the beginning of his career, and they were certainly far more the product of Lemieux's dominance. No one who saw the Cup finals against Chicago can doubt that Jagr was also integral to their championship.
(By the way, in case you've forgotten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6u1f1F5xAU)
Still, while Jagr was at his peak, as the best player in the league (or perhaps second-best, to Peter Forsberg), he never led the Penguins to a Cup championship. And then there was the fact that he seemed to quit on the team during the 2001 Conference Finals against the Devils...remember him skating off before the period was over?
This gets at the heart of a prejudice many Canadians have about European players: that they don't fully compete at all times. Certainly, there may be truth to this, and Jagr was known for being erratic and mercurial (his career playoff PPG, while still excellent, is a full quarter-PPG lower than his regular season output), but we shouldn't let this blanket assessment tarnish Jagr's accomplishments. I still vividly remember the 7th-seeded Penguins upsetting the heavily-favoured Devils in the 1999 quarterfinals, in which Jagr took the team on his back and led a bunch of ragtags far past where they deserved to be. The reality is, the Penguins simply weren't very good when Jagr was in his prime, and yet he led them to the playoffs over and over again, and many times past the first round. Just look at the Penguins' immediate dropoff after Jagr left to go to Washington...they languished as one of the worst teams in the league (although that paid off in the form of Fleury, Crosby and Malkin).
There was also no doubt that Jagr's game wasn't as well-rounded as, say, Peter Forsberg's...but as with the Gretzky argument, I'll grant that although Jagr was a bit of a cherry-picker, his philosophy was certainly that "the best defence is a good offence". And considering that Jagr's career +/- is +275 (on Penguins teams that featured goalies like Ken Wreggat and a past-his-prime Tom Barrasso), it's clear that Jagr succeeded in keeping the puck out of his own net simply by virtue of the fact that he had it on his stick most of the time.
As for the much-maligned days with the Capitals, there's no doubt that Jagr wasn't as productive or consistent as he was with the Penguins, but it's not like he fell off the map into some Alexei Kovalev-like level of ineptitude. Jagr was still top five in the league in scoring in his first year, and averaged around 90 adjusted points with the Capitals. Not dominant, to be sure, but not bad for a "dip" in his career.
For anyone else who doubts Jagr's commitment to team success, just look at the dominance the Czech Republic displayed on the international scene from 1998-2001. In Nagano, we Canadians had our hearts broken by Hasek, but we shouldn't forget that Jagr was one of the top forwards of the tournament. Basically, the Czech team was Hasek, Jagr, a bunch of players with potential (Straka, Elias), and some scrubs. That's it...unless you count Jiri Slegr, who played way over his head and won top defenceman honours in Nagano.
Jagr cemented his legacy with three excellent seasons with the New York Rangers, in which he led a team that had been languishing out of the playoffs for years back to the Eastern Conference semifinals two years in a row. If not for an astonishing spurt by Joe Thornton after his trade to San Jose, Jagr would have won another scoring title and another MVP award (as a side note, it's interesting that Jagr has one MVP award to his name, but has received three Ted Lindsay awards as the most valuable player as voted by the league's players. Could that be a result of European prejudice among those who do the Hart trophy voting?)
So we can throw backhanded compliments Jagr's way, such as "he was a great individual talent" or "an extremely gifted player", but let's just take a step back and acknowledge him for what he is: one of the best players to ever play right-wing.
Adjusted Stats
1990-1991 Pit* 82 GP 25 goals 27 assists 52 points 0.63 PPG
1991-1992 Pit* 72 GP 29 goals 34 assists 63 points 0.87 PPG
1992-1993 Pit 79 GP 28 goals 50 assists 78 points 0.98 PPG
1993-1994 Pit 78 GP 30 goals 62 assists 92 points 1.17 PPG
1994-1995 Pit 82 GP 56 goals 67 assists 123 points 1.50 PPG
1995-1996 Pit 82 GP 61 goals 85 assists 146 points 1.78 PPG
1996-1997 Pit 63 GP 50 goals 51 assists 100 points 1.59 PPG
1997-1998 Pit 77 GP 41 goals 78 assists 119 points 1.54 PPG
1998-1999 Pit 81 GP 51 goals 97 assists 148 points 1.83 PPG
1999-2000 Pit 63 GP 47 goals 60 assists 107 points 1.71 PPG
2000-2001 Pit 81 GP 58 goals 77 assists 135 points 1.67 PPG
2001-2002 Wsh 69 GP 36 goals 56 assists 93 points 1.34 PPG
2002-2003 Wsh 75 GP 42 goals 47 assists 89 points 1.19 PPG
2003-2004 Wsh/NYR 77 GP 37 goals 51 assists 89 points 1.15 PPG
2005-2006 NYR 82 GP 55 goals 70 assists 125 points 1.52 PPG
2006-2007 NYR 82 GP 32 goals 70 assists 103 points 1.25 PPG
2007-2008 NYR 82 GP 28 goals 52 assists 80 points 0.98 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1990-1991 Pit* 24 GP 3 goals 9 assists 11 points 0.46 PPG
1991-1992 Pit* 21 GP 10 goals 11 assists 21 points 1.00 PPG
1992-1993 Pit 12 GP 4 goals 3 assists 7 points 0.62 PPG
1993-1994 Pit 6 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.98 PPG
1994-1995 Pit 12 GP 9 goals 4 assists 13 points 1.10 PPG
1995-1996 Pit 18 GP 11 goals 11 assists 22 points 1.22 PPG
1996-1997 Pit 5 GP 4 goals 4 assists 8 points 1.68 PPG
1997-1998 Pit 6 GP 4 goals 6 assists 10 points 1.67 PPG
1998-1999 Pit 9 GP 5 goals 8 assists 13 points 1.46 PPG
1999-2000 Pit 11 GP 10 goals 10 assists 19 points 1.75 PPG
2000-2001 Pit 16 GP 2 goals 12 assists 14 points 0.88 PPG
2002-2003 Wsh 6 GP 2 goals 6 assists 8 points 1.39 PPG
2005-2006 NYR 3 GP 0 goals 1 assists 1 point 0.33 PPG
2006-2007 NYR 10 GP 6 goals 7 assists 12 points 1.25 PPG
2007-2008 NYR 10 GP 5 goals 10 assists 16 points 1.57 PPG
Career - 1307 GP, 706 goals, 1034 assists, 1742 points, 1.33 PPG
Career-Highs - 61 goals (95-96); 97 assists (98-99); 148 points (98-99); 1.83 PPG (98-99)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 77 GP, 42 goals, 61 assists, 102 points, 1.33 PPG
Peak Avg. (94-02) - 75 GP, 50 goals, 71 assists, 121 points, 1.62 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 169 GP, 77 goals, 106 assists, 181 points, 1.07 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 11 goals (95-96); 12 assists (00-01); 22 points (95-96); 1.75 PPG (99-00)
Accolades - 1 MVP award, 5 Art Ross
All-Star Teams - 7-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion
There is a case to be made that, aside from the Pantheon names of Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr is the best offensive player ever to play in the NHL. This surprises many, but the facts are too numerous to ignore:
- His 1,742 career adjusted points rank him fifth behind just Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Ron Francis. For the record, Messier and Francis each played about 500 more games than Jagr. If Jagr averaged 10 points a season for just three more seasons, a scorching Tie Domi pace, he's ahead of them.
- His average of 102 adjusted points per season played is second only to The Great One...and along with Gretzky, he's the only player to average over 100 points a season. This of course means that Jagr holds the highest average of any non-center.
- His peak average of 121 points per season ranks third, behind just Gretzky and Esposito; and his peak-average PPG ranks third behind just Gretzky and Lemieux.
- He won the Art Ross Trophy five times as the league's leading scorer.
Jagr benefits from the adjusted-stats more than most players, because the fact is that his prime, when he was tearing up the league, occurred from 1994-2002, at the peak of the Trap Era, when players with 80 points in a season would routinely crack the top ten and even the top five. It also didn't help Jagr and his fellow forwards that the Trap Era also boasted the best era of goaltending we've seen (Roy, Brodeur, Belfour, Hasek and Joseph were all at their best during these years). In spite of all this, Jagr managed to put up remarkable numbers.
By objective criteria, Jagr is clearly in the top twenty players of all-time, and perhaps deserves consideration for the top ten (he's outside my top ten, but still within the 11-15 range...and ahead of Messier in my eyes, which shocks many). Among right-wingers, Howe clearly bests him, as does Richard for his legendary status and fierce competitiveness. Lafleur's peak was equal to Jagr's, but unlike Jagr, Lafleur fell off the map after his peak.
So the case has been made, and yet...and yet...there is something about Jagr that, particularly among Canadians, doesn't seem to qualify him for the discussion of the greatest players of all time. Part of it may be the fact that, although Jagr won two Stanley Cups, they were at the beginning of his career, and they were certainly far more the product of Lemieux's dominance. No one who saw the Cup finals against Chicago can doubt that Jagr was also integral to their championship.
(By the way, in case you've forgotten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6u1f1F5xAU)
Still, while Jagr was at his peak, as the best player in the league (or perhaps second-best, to Peter Forsberg), he never led the Penguins to a Cup championship. And then there was the fact that he seemed to quit on the team during the 2001 Conference Finals against the Devils...remember him skating off before the period was over?
This gets at the heart of a prejudice many Canadians have about European players: that they don't fully compete at all times. Certainly, there may be truth to this, and Jagr was known for being erratic and mercurial (his career playoff PPG, while still excellent, is a full quarter-PPG lower than his regular season output), but we shouldn't let this blanket assessment tarnish Jagr's accomplishments. I still vividly remember the 7th-seeded Penguins upsetting the heavily-favoured Devils in the 1999 quarterfinals, in which Jagr took the team on his back and led a bunch of ragtags far past where they deserved to be. The reality is, the Penguins simply weren't very good when Jagr was in his prime, and yet he led them to the playoffs over and over again, and many times past the first round. Just look at the Penguins' immediate dropoff after Jagr left to go to Washington...they languished as one of the worst teams in the league (although that paid off in the form of Fleury, Crosby and Malkin).
There was also no doubt that Jagr's game wasn't as well-rounded as, say, Peter Forsberg's...but as with the Gretzky argument, I'll grant that although Jagr was a bit of a cherry-picker, his philosophy was certainly that "the best defence is a good offence". And considering that Jagr's career +/- is +275 (on Penguins teams that featured goalies like Ken Wreggat and a past-his-prime Tom Barrasso), it's clear that Jagr succeeded in keeping the puck out of his own net simply by virtue of the fact that he had it on his stick most of the time.
As for the much-maligned days with the Capitals, there's no doubt that Jagr wasn't as productive or consistent as he was with the Penguins, but it's not like he fell off the map into some Alexei Kovalev-like level of ineptitude. Jagr was still top five in the league in scoring in his first year, and averaged around 90 adjusted points with the Capitals. Not dominant, to be sure, but not bad for a "dip" in his career.
For anyone else who doubts Jagr's commitment to team success, just look at the dominance the Czech Republic displayed on the international scene from 1998-2001. In Nagano, we Canadians had our hearts broken by Hasek, but we shouldn't forget that Jagr was one of the top forwards of the tournament. Basically, the Czech team was Hasek, Jagr, a bunch of players with potential (Straka, Elias), and some scrubs. That's it...unless you count Jiri Slegr, who played way over his head and won top defenceman honours in Nagano.
Jagr cemented his legacy with three excellent seasons with the New York Rangers, in which he led a team that had been languishing out of the playoffs for years back to the Eastern Conference semifinals two years in a row. If not for an astonishing spurt by Joe Thornton after his trade to San Jose, Jagr would have won another scoring title and another MVP award (as a side note, it's interesting that Jagr has one MVP award to his name, but has received three Ted Lindsay awards as the most valuable player as voted by the league's players. Could that be a result of European prejudice among those who do the Hart trophy voting?)
So we can throw backhanded compliments Jagr's way, such as "he was a great individual talent" or "an extremely gifted player", but let's just take a step back and acknowledge him for what he is: one of the best players to ever play right-wing.
#11 - Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #11)
Adjusted Stats
1991-1992 NJ 4 GP, 2-1-0, .667 win%, 183 min, 9 GA, 2.96 GAA
1993-1994 NJ 46 GP, 26-11-8, .667 win%, 2563 min, 97 GA, 2.28 GAA
1994-1995 NJ* 68 GP, 32-19-10, .607 win%, 3731 min, 157 GA, 2.52 GAA
1995-1996 NJ 77 GP, 34-30-12, .526 win%, 4433 min, 169 GA, 2.29 GAA
1996-1997 NJ 67 GP, 37-14-13, .680 win%, 3838 min, 127 GA, 1.98 GAA
1997-1998 NJ 70 GP, 43-17-8, .691 win%, 4128 min, 151 GA, 2.20 GAA
1998-1999 NJ 70 GP, 39-21-10, .629 win%, 4239 min, 189 GA, 2.68 GAA
1999-2000 NJ* 72 GP, 43-20-8, .662 win%, 4312 min, 180 GA, 2.51 GAA
2000-2001 NJ 72 GP, 42-17-11, .679 win%, 4297 min, 185 GA, 2.59 GAA
2001-2002 NJ 73 GP, 38-26-9, .582 win%, 4347 min, 183 GA, 2.53 GAA
2002-2003 NJ* 73 GP, 41-23-9, .623 win%, 4374 min, 170 GA, 2.34 GAA
2003-2004 NJ 75 GP, 38-26-11, .580 win%, 4555 min, 184 GA, 2.43 GAA
2005-2006 NJ 73 GP, 43-23-7, .637 win%, 4365 min, 190 GA, 2.61 GAA
2006-2007 NJ 78 GP, 48-23-7, .660 win%, 4697 min, 183 GA, 2.33 GAA
2007-2008 NJ 77 GP, 44-27-6, .610 win%, 4635 min, 190 GA, 2.46 GAA
2008-2009 NJ 31 GP, 19-9-3, .661 win%, 1814 min, 79 GA, 2.61 GAA
2009-2010 NJ 77 GP, 45-25-6, .632 win%, 4499 min, 184 GA, 2.46 GAA
2010-2011 NJ 56 GP, 23-26-3, .471 win%, 3116 min, 143 GA, 2.75 GAA
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1991-1992 NJ 1 GP, 0-1, .000 win%, 32 min, 3 GA, 4.92 GAA
1993-1994 NJ 17 GP, 8-9, .471 win%, 1171 min, 37 GA, 1.91 GAA
1994-1995 NJ* 20 GP, 16-4, .800 win%, 1222 min, 30 GA, 1.48 GAA
1996-1997 NJ 10 GP, 5-5, .500 win%, 659 min, 20 GA, 1.82 GAA
1997-1998 NJ 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 366 min, 13 GA, 2.19 GAA
1998-1999 NJ 7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 425 min, 22 GA, 3.10 GAA
1999-2000 NJ* 23 GP, 16-7, .696 win%, 1450 min, 47 GA, 1.94 GAA
2000-2001 NJ 25 GP, 15-10, .600 win%, 1505 min, 61 GA, 2.43 GAA
2001-2002 NJ 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 381 min, 11 GA, 1.68 GAA
2002-2003 NJ* 24 GP, 16-8, .667 win%, 1491 min, 49 GA, 1.97 GAA
2003-2004 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 298 min, 17 GA, 3.34 GAA
2005-2006 NJ 9 GP, 5-4, .556 win%, 533 min, 20 GA, 2.24 GAA
2006-2007 NJ 11 GP, 5-6, .455 win%, 688 min, 32 GA, 2.77 GAA
2007-2008 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 301 min, 17 GA, 3.34 GAA
2008-2009 NJ 7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 427 min, 17 GA, 2.45 GAA
2009-2010 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 299 min, 14 GA, 2.83 GAA
Career - 1159 GP, 638-358-141, .623 win%, 68126 min, 2770 GA, 2.44 GAA
Career-Highs - 78 GP (06-07); 48 wins (06-07), .691 win% (97-98); 4697 min (06-07); 1.98 GAA (96-97)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 68 GP, 38-21-8, .623 win%, 4007 min, 163 GA, 2.44 GAA
Peak Avg. (96-04) - 72 GP, 40-21-10, .634 win%, 4261 min, 171 GA, 2.41 GAA, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 181 GP, 99-82, .547 win%, 11248 min, 410 GA, 2.19 GAA
Playoff-Highs - 16 wins (3 times); .800 win% (94-95); 1.48 GAA (94-95)
Accolades - 4 Vezina Trophies, 5 Jennings Trophies, Calder
All-Star Teams - 4-time 1st-team, 4-time 2nd-team
3-time Stanley Cup Champion
Aside from the fact that he clearly belongs on the short list of candidates for greatest goaltenders ever, you need to know where I'm coming from personally when it comes to Martin Brodeur. In my life, I've only really had two heroes who weren't a part of my family: the film director Steven Spielberg, and Martin Brodeur. And of all the athletes I've cheered for, all the ones that I'd say I'm a "fan" of (Jeff Bagwell, Vlad Guerrero, Joe Sakic, Aaron Rodgers), there are really only two that have transcended sport to become true personal favourites of mine: Brodeur, and Blue Jays' pitcher Pat Hentgen.
So clearly I'm biased, and yet when building the pyramid, I was very careful to make sure I placed Brodeur in his proper place. That is why, for the reasons discussed in the entry on Roy, I couldn't put him ahead of Roy despite trying to find every possible reason to do it. But Brodeur, probably the most consistent goaltender ever, is easily one of the two best players of the 2000s, along with another model of consistency, Nicklas Lidstrom.
It seems as if detractors have been taking away from Brodeur for his entire career, and that's one of the reasons that championing him became something of a personal cause. I remember early in his career when the whispers were that Brodeur was merely a product of a great defensive team. Sure he was, just as Tom Brady was a product of a great system in New England. Give me Hasek or Joseph, the fans said, goalies who "steal" games. Well, Brodeur didn't steal games because he didn't have to...except on those rare occasions where the Devils were off their game or needed a big save, Brodeur miraculously was always there to answer the bell.
It's worth remembering that, despite all evidence that this was one of the most ridiculous decisions ever made (and a decision that I argued until I was blue in the face with any friends of mine unfortunate to be Leaf fans), Team Canada chose to go with Curtis Joseph as their starting goaltender in the 2002 Olympics, not Brodeur. Forget the fact that Brodeur had already won two Stanley Cups by that point...Joseph on a great team would surely be amazing, since he was so successful with the Blues, Oilers and Leafs, who had porous defenses. Well, we all know what happened, and it was a turning point in how Brodeur was viewed nationally. The average fan came to realize what true students of the game always knew: there are great "bad-team" goalies and great "good-team" goalies, and counterintuitive as it is, it might be harder to be a great "good-team" goalie.
Brodeur was the best "good-team" goalie in the history of the game, narrowly beating out Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden. Sometimes he would only face 20 shots, but three of them would be 2-on-1s and one would be a breakaway...and almost all the time, it was with the team leading by only one goal. It was that pressure that Brodeur thrived under...fans may say it was boring hockey, but I remember watching enthralled at the Dallas/New Jersey Stanley Cup finals, watching Belfour and Brodeur duel it out in overtime, wondering who would crack first. (One of my favourite saves of that series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Grq2evrRfg)
Like Roy, Brodeur was a master of the "big save". When I think of the 2002 Canadian gold medal team, I think of them losing to Sweden (when Joseph was in net) and then struggling to beat the German squad. The final game of the Round Robin was played against the Czech Republic, probably the best team in international hockey for the previous four years, and though Canada was badly outplayed, they salvaged a 3-3 tie. Many consider the turning point of that game, and the entire tournament, to be Brodeur's diving glove save to keep the game tied. And although Canada won the gold medal game 5-2 vs. the USA, it was 3-2 late in the third when Brodeur made a game-saving stop against a Brett Hull one-timer.
Brodeur's puckhandling was more than just a novelty. He was integral to the way the Devils played the game, allowing defencemen like Scott Niedermayer to stay 20 feet up the ice on dump-ins and begin the rush with an advantage. This is something that shouldn't be forgotten...goaltenders like Roberto Luongo and Curtis Joseph created shots against them with their somewhat shaky puckhandling and rebound control, while Brodeur contributed to his own minimal workload. Harry Neale called Brodeur a thinking man's goalie...and indeed, while many goaltenders were relying on ridiculously-sized equipment, Brodeur brought artistry to goaltending. His style was hard to pin-down: a hybrid between stand-up and butterfly, with odd pokechecks and occasional instinctive gambles worked into the mix.
Hard as it is to believe, Brodeur didn't win his first Vezina trophy until 2003 (the year he also got his third Cup). He's added three more to his resume since then, defying those who have consistently tried to pass the mantle of league's best goaltender to Roberto Luongo (who, incidentally, has never won a Vezina). The mantle may have finally been passed now, in 2011, as Brodeur is enduring an awful year with the Devils. But for fifteen years, he was the backbone of one of the most successful organizations in hockey...always giving you 70+ games, 40+ wins, stellar play, and usually a Vezina nomination. Brodeur has to defer to Roy for the title of greatest ever, because while he has been an excellent postseason goaltender at times, he's also endured more than his share of first-round upsets (some of which were cases in which he was directly outplayed). Still, few goaltenders can match his resume, and it's doubtful that his career record for wins and shutouts will be falling any time soon. Marty Brodeur was my favourite, and he was also one of the very best to ever play the game.
Adjusted Stats
1991-1992 NJ 4 GP, 2-1-0, .667 win%, 183 min, 9 GA, 2.96 GAA
1993-1994 NJ 46 GP, 26-11-8, .667 win%, 2563 min, 97 GA, 2.28 GAA
1994-1995 NJ* 68 GP, 32-19-10, .607 win%, 3731 min, 157 GA, 2.52 GAA
1995-1996 NJ 77 GP, 34-30-12, .526 win%, 4433 min, 169 GA, 2.29 GAA
1996-1997 NJ 67 GP, 37-14-13, .680 win%, 3838 min, 127 GA, 1.98 GAA
1997-1998 NJ 70 GP, 43-17-8, .691 win%, 4128 min, 151 GA, 2.20 GAA
1998-1999 NJ 70 GP, 39-21-10, .629 win%, 4239 min, 189 GA, 2.68 GAA
1999-2000 NJ* 72 GP, 43-20-8, .662 win%, 4312 min, 180 GA, 2.51 GAA
2000-2001 NJ 72 GP, 42-17-11, .679 win%, 4297 min, 185 GA, 2.59 GAA
2001-2002 NJ 73 GP, 38-26-9, .582 win%, 4347 min, 183 GA, 2.53 GAA
2002-2003 NJ* 73 GP, 41-23-9, .623 win%, 4374 min, 170 GA, 2.34 GAA
2003-2004 NJ 75 GP, 38-26-11, .580 win%, 4555 min, 184 GA, 2.43 GAA
2005-2006 NJ 73 GP, 43-23-7, .637 win%, 4365 min, 190 GA, 2.61 GAA
2006-2007 NJ 78 GP, 48-23-7, .660 win%, 4697 min, 183 GA, 2.33 GAA
2007-2008 NJ 77 GP, 44-27-6, .610 win%, 4635 min, 190 GA, 2.46 GAA
2008-2009 NJ 31 GP, 19-9-3, .661 win%, 1814 min, 79 GA, 2.61 GAA
2009-2010 NJ 77 GP, 45-25-6, .632 win%, 4499 min, 184 GA, 2.46 GAA
2010-2011 NJ 56 GP, 23-26-3, .471 win%, 3116 min, 143 GA, 2.75 GAA
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1991-1992 NJ 1 GP, 0-1, .000 win%, 32 min, 3 GA, 4.92 GAA
1993-1994 NJ 17 GP, 8-9, .471 win%, 1171 min, 37 GA, 1.91 GAA
1994-1995 NJ* 20 GP, 16-4, .800 win%, 1222 min, 30 GA, 1.48 GAA
1996-1997 NJ 10 GP, 5-5, .500 win%, 659 min, 20 GA, 1.82 GAA
1997-1998 NJ 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 366 min, 13 GA, 2.19 GAA
1998-1999 NJ 7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 425 min, 22 GA, 3.10 GAA
1999-2000 NJ* 23 GP, 16-7, .696 win%, 1450 min, 47 GA, 1.94 GAA
2000-2001 NJ 25 GP, 15-10, .600 win%, 1505 min, 61 GA, 2.43 GAA
2001-2002 NJ 6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 381 min, 11 GA, 1.68 GAA
2002-2003 NJ* 24 GP, 16-8, .667 win%, 1491 min, 49 GA, 1.97 GAA
2003-2004 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 298 min, 17 GA, 3.34 GAA
2005-2006 NJ 9 GP, 5-4, .556 win%, 533 min, 20 GA, 2.24 GAA
2006-2007 NJ 11 GP, 5-6, .455 win%, 688 min, 32 GA, 2.77 GAA
2007-2008 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 301 min, 17 GA, 3.34 GAA
2008-2009 NJ 7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 427 min, 17 GA, 2.45 GAA
2009-2010 NJ 5 GP, 1-4, .200 win%, 299 min, 14 GA, 2.83 GAA
Career - 1159 GP, 638-358-141, .623 win%, 68126 min, 2770 GA, 2.44 GAA
Career-Highs - 78 GP (06-07); 48 wins (06-07), .691 win% (97-98); 4697 min (06-07); 1.98 GAA (96-97)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 68 GP, 38-21-8, .623 win%, 4007 min, 163 GA, 2.44 GAA
Peak Avg. (96-04) - 72 GP, 40-21-10, .634 win%, 4261 min, 171 GA, 2.41 GAA, 2 Cups
Playoff Career - 181 GP, 99-82, .547 win%, 11248 min, 410 GA, 2.19 GAA
Playoff-Highs - 16 wins (3 times); .800 win% (94-95); 1.48 GAA (94-95)
Accolades - 4 Vezina Trophies, 5 Jennings Trophies, Calder
All-Star Teams - 4-time 1st-team, 4-time 2nd-team
3-time Stanley Cup Champion
Aside from the fact that he clearly belongs on the short list of candidates for greatest goaltenders ever, you need to know where I'm coming from personally when it comes to Martin Brodeur. In my life, I've only really had two heroes who weren't a part of my family: the film director Steven Spielberg, and Martin Brodeur. And of all the athletes I've cheered for, all the ones that I'd say I'm a "fan" of (Jeff Bagwell, Vlad Guerrero, Joe Sakic, Aaron Rodgers), there are really only two that have transcended sport to become true personal favourites of mine: Brodeur, and Blue Jays' pitcher Pat Hentgen.
So clearly I'm biased, and yet when building the pyramid, I was very careful to make sure I placed Brodeur in his proper place. That is why, for the reasons discussed in the entry on Roy, I couldn't put him ahead of Roy despite trying to find every possible reason to do it. But Brodeur, probably the most consistent goaltender ever, is easily one of the two best players of the 2000s, along with another model of consistency, Nicklas Lidstrom.
It seems as if detractors have been taking away from Brodeur for his entire career, and that's one of the reasons that championing him became something of a personal cause. I remember early in his career when the whispers were that Brodeur was merely a product of a great defensive team. Sure he was, just as Tom Brady was a product of a great system in New England. Give me Hasek or Joseph, the fans said, goalies who "steal" games. Well, Brodeur didn't steal games because he didn't have to...except on those rare occasions where the Devils were off their game or needed a big save, Brodeur miraculously was always there to answer the bell.
It's worth remembering that, despite all evidence that this was one of the most ridiculous decisions ever made (and a decision that I argued until I was blue in the face with any friends of mine unfortunate to be Leaf fans), Team Canada chose to go with Curtis Joseph as their starting goaltender in the 2002 Olympics, not Brodeur. Forget the fact that Brodeur had already won two Stanley Cups by that point...Joseph on a great team would surely be amazing, since he was so successful with the Blues, Oilers and Leafs, who had porous defenses. Well, we all know what happened, and it was a turning point in how Brodeur was viewed nationally. The average fan came to realize what true students of the game always knew: there are great "bad-team" goalies and great "good-team" goalies, and counterintuitive as it is, it might be harder to be a great "good-team" goalie.
Brodeur was the best "good-team" goalie in the history of the game, narrowly beating out Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden. Sometimes he would only face 20 shots, but three of them would be 2-on-1s and one would be a breakaway...and almost all the time, it was with the team leading by only one goal. It was that pressure that Brodeur thrived under...fans may say it was boring hockey, but I remember watching enthralled at the Dallas/New Jersey Stanley Cup finals, watching Belfour and Brodeur duel it out in overtime, wondering who would crack first. (One of my favourite saves of that series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Grq2evrRfg)
Like Roy, Brodeur was a master of the "big save". When I think of the 2002 Canadian gold medal team, I think of them losing to Sweden (when Joseph was in net) and then struggling to beat the German squad. The final game of the Round Robin was played against the Czech Republic, probably the best team in international hockey for the previous four years, and though Canada was badly outplayed, they salvaged a 3-3 tie. Many consider the turning point of that game, and the entire tournament, to be Brodeur's diving glove save to keep the game tied. And although Canada won the gold medal game 5-2 vs. the USA, it was 3-2 late in the third when Brodeur made a game-saving stop against a Brett Hull one-timer.
Brodeur's puckhandling was more than just a novelty. He was integral to the way the Devils played the game, allowing defencemen like Scott Niedermayer to stay 20 feet up the ice on dump-ins and begin the rush with an advantage. This is something that shouldn't be forgotten...goaltenders like Roberto Luongo and Curtis Joseph created shots against them with their somewhat shaky puckhandling and rebound control, while Brodeur contributed to his own minimal workload. Harry Neale called Brodeur a thinking man's goalie...and indeed, while many goaltenders were relying on ridiculously-sized equipment, Brodeur brought artistry to goaltending. His style was hard to pin-down: a hybrid between stand-up and butterfly, with odd pokechecks and occasional instinctive gambles worked into the mix.
Hard as it is to believe, Brodeur didn't win his first Vezina trophy until 2003 (the year he also got his third Cup). He's added three more to his resume since then, defying those who have consistently tried to pass the mantle of league's best goaltender to Roberto Luongo (who, incidentally, has never won a Vezina). The mantle may have finally been passed now, in 2011, as Brodeur is enduring an awful year with the Devils. But for fifteen years, he was the backbone of one of the most successful organizations in hockey...always giving you 70+ games, 40+ wins, stellar play, and usually a Vezina nomination. Brodeur has to defer to Roy for the title of greatest ever, because while he has been an excellent postseason goaltender at times, he's also endured more than his share of first-round upsets (some of which were cases in which he was directly outplayed). Still, few goaltenders can match his resume, and it's doubtful that his career record for wins and shutouts will be falling any time soon. Marty Brodeur was my favourite, and he was also one of the very best to ever play the game.
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